Dear reader,
There is a stark delta between the frictionless promise of "tech" and its real-world application. The breadth of that delta seems to depend on the industry the "tech" is addressing.
For founders building B2B cybersecurity SaaS, the delta might barely be perceptible. For founders structuring analog, complex, messy industries, the delta is gaping.
The company we cover today, eWAKA, belongs to the latter category.
On paper, eWAKA sells e-mobility bikes to power Africa's last-mile logistics market. In practice, eWAKA is painstakingly structuring an ecosystem of vendors, financiers, and riders that make this all work. That takes time, cultural understanding, and hundreds of human conversations.
The tech kicks in, however, to efficiently orchestrate that ecosystem. As eWAKA founder Celeste Tchetgen Vogel told us:
"What makes this complexity manageable is data. Data also makes it scalable. We use data to understand local performance patterns. We use it to track rider behavior and asset utilization. It helps us assess risk across markets. Data allows us to adapt pricing. It helps us manage credit exposure. It lets us optimize fleet uptime and enforce accountability. Data is the bridge between heavy operations and scale. It allows localization while maintaining discipline as we grow."
The RO's very own Aakash Athawasya just interviewed Celeste at length. Topics covered include:
1) How Celeste's professional and personal background informed eWAKA's genesis
2) The rationale behind the focus on e-bikes
3) A granular explanation of the "ecosystem" eWAKA is fostering
4) How eWAKA makes money, and the various channels through which it sells its bikes
5) eWAKA's current traction, numerically
6) Celeste's take on what outsiders get wrong about Africa's e-mobility market
The resulting 3,000+ word article is available for RO paid subscribers just below.
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To existing paid subscribers, happy reading.
Tim