(Ecofin Agency) - The mobility and fintech platform, operating in Togo, Benin, Gabon, and Cameroon, has attracted new funding following its earlier raises of $5 million in 2021 and $10 million in 2022.
Mobility and delivery startup Gozem announced on Feb. 25 it has secured $30 million in Series B funding led by SAS Shipping Agencies Services, a subsidiary of MSC Mediterranean Company, and Al Mada Ventures, a venture capital fund from Morocco’s Al Mada Group. The new operation brings the total amount raised by Gozem since its founding in 2018 to nearly $45 million.
Co-founded by Gregory Costamagna and Raphael Dana, Gozem plans to use the funds to expand further into West and Central Africa where it currently operates. It will finance the acquisition of new vehicles through leasing or rental, benefiting drivers in these regions. The company also aims to speed up the growth of Gozem Money, its mobile payment service launched in 2023 following the acquisition of Moneex.
“We’re excited to welcome our strategic investors whose expertise and affiliated companies will help strengthen our logistics and financial services,” Gozem said in a statement.
The Togo-based startup operates in Benin, Gabon, and Cameroon, offering a range of services, including transport, food and parcel delivery, vehicle financing, and digital financial services. In June 2022, Gozem raised $10 million from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to fund the purchase of vehicles for 6,000 drivers in Togo and Benin. Before that, it had previously raised $5 million in Series A funding in 2021.
Gozem is tapping into the rapidly growing moto-taxi market, which it sees as the most common form of public transport in the region. In 2022, it identified nearly 12 million moto-taxi drivers within the informal economy of Central and West Africa.