Moove, a trailblazing player in Nigeria’s mobility and logistics sector, has successfully raised $76 million in a financing round that promises to reshape the landscape of transportation and mobility services in the country.

This substantial investment further solidifies Moove’s position as a driving force behind innovative transportation solutions.

The company’s unique approach to automobile financing, which utilizes a hire-purchase model, has garnered attention from both investors and industry experts.

Under this model, Moove rents cars to drivers, allowing them to ultimately become car owners once they complete payments based on a predetermined value set by the company.

This infusion of funds will enable Moove to accelerate its efforts in bringing affordable and flexible mobility solutions to Nigerian drivers, fostering economic opportunities and contributing to the growth of the local transportation ecosystem.

The financing round boasts support from 31 investors, including prominent names such as BlackRock and Mubadala.

It said in a statement that, “Moove is different from typical mobility companies like Uber or Taxify; instead, it operates as an automobile financing startup that employs a hire purchase model. Under this approach, Moove rents cars to drivers, who eventually become car owners after paying the predetermined value set by Moove.”

According to the statement, the collective efforts of Nigerian mobility and logistics startups were making a substantial impact, employing 1,374 individuals in total, averaging around 49 employees per company, as highlighted by Disrupt Africa’s research.

With this successful funding round, Moove has now raised $550 million across 15 rounds as it eyes unicorn status. “Unicorn” status—a term used to describe privately held startup companies valued at over $1 billion—represents a significant milestone in the realm of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Nigerian startup Zuvy has secured $4.5 million in funding to revolutionize SME financing in Africa by addressing the challenges faced by businesses in accessing capital for their operations.

Zuvy, founded in 2021 and operating out of Nigeria, specializes in providing innovative invoice financing and management tools for SMEs.

The co-founders, Angel Onuoha and Ahmad Shehu, share a passion for digitizing and providing financing solutions tailored to the unique needs of small businesses in Africa.

“When I first came to Lagos, I was helping one of my aunties run her food catering business, and I saw just how much of an impact that invoice financing could have had on her business,” shares Angel Onuoha, reflecting on his personal motivation for establishing Zuvy.

“This was primarily because most of her work is determined by large contracts that she would get from large oil and gas companies. They wouldn’t pay her for 30 or 45 days at a time, and I found that a lot of these payment delays are very common for vendors.”

Payment delays are a prevalent challenge faced by SMEs in Nigeria, where large corporations often take as long as 90 days to settle invoices for services rendered. This creates significant cash flow constraints for smaller businesses, adversely affecting their operations and growth prospects.

Zuvy aims to bridge this financing gap by providing invoice financing to SMEs, particularly in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), healthcare, and supply chain sectors where payment delays are rampant.

By offering cash advances based on invoices issued by businesses, Zuvy enables SMEs to access the funds they are owed, reducing their dependence on delayed payments.

To ensure the legitimacy of each application, Zuvy collaborates closely with the businesses receiving the services. This approach not only verifies the authenticity of the invoice but also streamlines the repayment process.

Repayment terms, ranging from 30 to 90 days, are determined based on the specific needs of each business, allowing for flexibility and tailored financing solutions.

Zuvy’s innovative approach to SME financing has garnered support from investors, with TLG Capital leading the recent funding round. The funding, split between debt ($4 million) and equity ($580k), will enable Zuvy to expand its loan book and meet the increasing demand from vendors in Nigeria.

“TLG’s innovative approach to lending in Naira, a critical aspect of our operations, has demonstrated their deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities within our market,” says Angel Onuoha, expressing his enthusiasm for TLG Capital’s investment.

“Most importantly, their deal execution speed is unparalleled, and we are highly aligned with their mission in fostering the growth of SMEs on the continent.”

Technology-driven company that provides hassle-free last-mile logistics services to businesses and individuals across Africa, Fez Delivery has raised $1 million in a seed round to deepen its products offering and expand operations to other African markets.

The funding round was led by Ventures Platform, with participation from other investors such as Voltron Capital, and Acasia Ventures as well as other Angel investors.

This funding announcement follows Fez Delivery’s acceptance as one of the only two logistics companies in Nigeria to have received investment from Techstars Toronto, an elite global tech accelerator.

Speaking on how the recent capital raised will be deployed, Fez Delivery CEO Seun Alley disclosed that the company will continue to push towards leveraging technology to solve real problems.

In her words, “With this funding, we are repositioning as a full-fledged tech company focused on last-mile deliveries. We are currently focused on the $10 billion transport and logistics market in Nigeria, where we still have room to grow. We plan to keep growing in Nigeria and expand to other markets starting in the last quarter (Q4) of this year. Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa are on our list, but we haven’t decided on the order yet. While the platform is currently in development, interested parties can sign up to join the waitlist”.

Also commenting is the company’s co-founder and CTO Oluwafemi Jose who said, “Our goal has always been to create something truly transformative. We are excited to use this funding to accelerate our innovation, expand our team, deepen our development efforts and bring more value to our customers and partners”.

Founded in 2020, Fez delivery distinguishes itself from its competitors by offering tailored and hybrid solutions that combine physical touch-points with technology to serve its customers.

The startup offers APIs to its business clients and claims over 17,000 people currently use its platform, with 70% being individuals and 30% being a mix of SMEs and startups.

Fez Delivery makes money by charging individuals per delivery, and businesses a monthly subscription. It offers customers live tracking. Upon placing an order, customers will receive a tracking ID to track their order with an up-to-the-minute status report as well as the courier’s live location, Investors King understands.

In 2022, the logistics startup completed 200,000 trips and grew revenue by 20% month-on-month. Fez delivery boasts a team of well-trained professionals that provide best-in-class services and are committed to making the delivery as hassle-free as possible. Some of its partners include Opay, Kuda, Fairmoney, Techstars, Flutterwave, and paystack