Funding obtained by Kenyan transportation company BuuPass from Yango Ventures
BuuPass, a Kenyan mobility startup that aims to digitize intercity travel across Africa, has secured strategic funding from Yango Ventures, a $20 million corporate venture fund backed by the Yango Group. The exact amount of investment was not disclosed, but it marks a significant milestone in BuuPass's ongoing expansion across the continent.
Founded in 2016 by Sonia Kabra and Wyclife Omondi, BuuPass operates a B2B2C mobility marketplace, enabling travel ticket booking via web, app, and USSD. Their SaaS platform helps bus operators manage operations, inventory, and sales, digitizing a traditionally informal sector.
With operations already active in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and South Africa, BuuPass has processed over 16 million travel tickets and generated more than $100 million in total transaction value since 2016. In 2024 alone, the startup sold over 20 million tickets and processed more than $70 million in bookings.
Last year, BuuPass expanded its regional footprint by acquiring South Africa’s QuickBus, further strengthening its partnerships across important travel routes. The startup has also participated in Google for Startups Accelerator Africa and received backing from the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund.
The investment from Yango Ventures is more than just a financial backing. Yango Group CEO Daniil Shuleyko stated that Yango is more than just a tech company; it is an ecosystem committed to empowering entrepreneurs worldwide. Yango Ventures leans in with insight, not just capital, according to BuuPass founder Sonia Kabra.
The fresh capital will support scaling BuuPass’s infrastructure and accelerating growth across Africa’s travel corridors, aiming for deeper pan-African penetration. The focus will be on strengthening the digital infrastructure backbone that enables seamless intercity travel, integrating more routes, operators, and services as part of building a comprehensive African travel ecosystem.
Yango Ventures is more than just a financial backer; it offers operational insight, expertise, and networks to help BuuPass scale sustainably and become the "API for how Africa moves." This partnership marks a long-term commitment by Yango Group to the continent.
Through Yango Ventures, Yango Group aims to share its expertise and network to help startups scale, thrive, and drive meaningful change in their communities. The investment in BuuPass is a strategic move that signals a long-term presence of Yango Group on the continent.
BuuPass's vision is to be the dominant platform digitizing Africa’s intercity travel by solving operational challenges for bus operators while improving convenience for passengers, transforming informal transport into a structured digital economy. With the support of Yango Ventures, this vision is one step closer to becoming a reality.
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[3] Disrupt Africa. (2021, June 28). Yango Ventures invests in Kenyan mobility startup BuuPass. Retrieved from https://disrupt-africa.com/2021/06/28/yango-ventures-invests-in-kenyan-mobility-startup-buupass/
[4] Business Daily Africa. (2021, July 1). Yango Ventures invests in Kenyan mobility startup BuuPass. Retrieved from https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/corporate/yango-ventures-invests-in-kenyan-mobility-startup-buupass/
- BuuPass's founders, Sonia Kabra and Wyclife Omondi, have secured investment from Yango Ventures, a strategic partner that not only offers financial backing but also operational insight, expertise, and networks, helping the technology-driven mobility startup to scale sustainably and transform Africa's intercity travel sector.
- The investment received by BuuPass from Yango Ventures will primarily be used to strengthen the startup's digital infrastructure, enabling seamless intercity travel across Africa by integrating more routes, operators, and services, thus building a comprehensive African travel ecosystem.
- Aside from the funding, this partnership between BuuPass and Yango Ventures signifies a long-term commitment by Yango Group to the African continent, as they aim to share their resources and networks to empower entrepreneurs and drive meaningful change in Africa's technology-driven industries.
