Moove Receives $20m Debt Funding From British International Investment
The UK government’s Development Finance Institution (DFI), the British International Investment (BII), said on Thursday that it has invested $20 million in debt financing in Nigeria’s mobility financing firm Moove.
Moove has a voracious thirst for fundraising.
Moove has demonstrated that it has a tremendous thirst for cash by raising $10 million in debt financing in February and $105 million in a major round the following month. The business has received $135 million in funding thus far this year alone, according to a statement provided to TechCabal, which describes the new investment as a 4-year structured credit investment in Moove. The overall funding now stands at $194.5 million after combining the first investment from earlier this year—seed and Series A ($23 million).
In markets with limited access to credit, Ladi Delano and Jide Odunsi founded Moove in 2020 to give mobility entrepreneurs access to revenue-based financing. Its clients, who are mainly drivers for ride-hailing services, can buy brand-new cars using a portion of their weekly income.
Since its debut in 2020, Moove has quickly increased its operations within Nigeria and entered additional African countries, such as Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa, as well as those in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Additionally, it serves as Uber’s sole auto financing partner in Africa.
We are extremely proud to have a partner of BII’s caliber join our team. Their strategic support will be crucial to our goal of becoming the greatest comprehensive vehicle finance platform in the world for mobility entrepreneurs. Co-founder and co-CEO of Moove, Ladi Delano, stated in a statement provided to TechCabal.
Delano added that his business is now better positioned to use its technology and productivity data to build a more equitable financial ecosystem as a result of the new loan investment.
Replace the outdated with the modern
With this investment, the investor formally introduces its new name (from CDC Group to BII) and reiterates its ongoing goal to increase investment in order to strengthen important economic sectors in Nigeria. Nigeria is the largest investment market in the world, according to BII, with a portfolio worth $570 million, made up of more than 100 companies and 43 funds that would sustain about 45,000 employment nationwide by 2020.
According to the release, Nick O’Donohoe, CEO of BII, “Moove has a partner that aligns with our goal to back dynamic tech-enabled enterprises that may assist accelerate impact in Nigeria by enhancing the country’s informal transport market.” “I am thrilled that Moove’s obvious focus on gender diversity will encourage inclusive economic opportunities for women, both within the company’s employees and among its drivers. Not only will BII’s investment assist to generate jobs and give enterprising self-starters the means to own their vehicles.
DFIs were known to invest mostly through private equity and sporadically through venture capital until recently. For instance, BII made a financial commitment to Nigeria’s Capital Alliance Private Equity Fund I (CAPE I), which is run by African Capital Alliance (ACA) and CardinalStone Capital Advisors Growth Fund, among others. It also invested in TLcom, an early-stage to series-A venture financing firm with an emphasis on Africa. However, DFIs are already working directly with startups: BII invested in Kenya’s MKopa and Nigeria’s TradeDepot as well as TeamApt. The French DFI Proparco also contributed $8 million to GOMYCODE’s series A. Either the DFIs have developed the risk appetite necessary for startup financing, or they are suffering from FOMO due to the startup ecosystem’s present exponential expansion.
