Welcome to Founder Spotlight Rewind — a chance to catch up with the incredible founders we've previously featured and get the latest on how their companies are evolving. Whether it's major milestones, new products, or expanded impact, we're excited to share what's next in their journey.
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Meet Jit Bhattacharya & Jonathan Green, Founders of BasiGo
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Founder: Jit Bhattacharya & Jonathan Green
Motto: Create the future of clean, electric public transportation in Africa.
Year Founded: 2021
Stage: Seed
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
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Climate Capital: What made you want to solve this problem?
Jit & Jonathan: Buses are the most common mode of transport in African cities. In Nairobi, 20,000 diesel buses account for 40% of all passenger trips in the city. But these buses are also the largest source of toxic pollution choking the air in our cities. In the early days of the COVID pandemic, we were given a glimpse of what would happen if we electrified our public transport sector in Kenya. The government stopped all buses from operating and overnight, the air in Nairobi completely cleared.
Electrification of public transport in Kenya also has a massive climate impact. Over 90% of Kenya's electricity comes from clean, renewable energy. As a result, electrifying a single bus in Nairobi has a greater marginal impact on climate emissions (> 50 tonnes per year) than similar initiatives in the western markets. To maximize the climate impact of public transport electrification, we should be starting in East Africa so we launched BasiGo to make that happen.
Climate Capital: What are you building?
Jit & Jonathan: BasiGo is introducing state-of-the-art electric buses into the informal public transport sector in Kenya. Our key innovation is a technology-enabled financing model called Pay-As-You-Drive which allows an African bus owner to purchase an electric bus for the same upfront cost as a diesel bus while then leasing the battery through a daily, mileage-based subscription fee. The Pay-As-You-Drive subscriptions enable operators to earn 4x the monthly income compared to purchasing a diesel bus.
We now have 64 electric buses in operation between Kenya and Rwanda, with another 60 buses in our production pipeline for deployment in the next 3 months. We currently have 862 deposits on our reservation list, representing over $250 Million in potential lease revenue.
Climate Capital: What is next?
Jit & Jonathan: Our electric buses have now driven over 4.4 million kilometers, carried over 8 million passengers, and mitigated over 2,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions, all while providing a radically improved experience for the millions of people who rely on public transport every day in Nairobi and Kigali.
We have 7 charging depots with capacity to charge over 100 electric buses, and we’ve opened our network to the public, enabling passenger EVs to charge at our depots during the day. BasiGo now operates the largest DC fast-charging network in sub-Saharan Africa.
We also launched Rwanda's first fleet of inter-city electric buses, and a pilot of electric vans for inter-city routes in Kenya, addressing the country’s most common form of public transport.
Since our inception, BasiGo has raised over $50 Million in equity and debt from investors such as Novastar Ventures, Africa50, CFAO (Toyota Tsusho), Trucks VC, Moxxie VC, SBI Holdings, and British International Investment. We are now laser-focused on how we can scale to 1,000 buses in the next 3 years which requires us to raise another $100 Million in capital. For that we have developed a new AssetCo structure, which is designed as a platform for renewable energy project to invest into our sector.
Climate Capital: What are the core elements of the culture you are building at your company?
Jit & Jonathan: BasiGo has 4 core values that are central to how we work:
1. We make safe, electric transport ACCESSIBLE to all people in Africa.
2. We REVOLUTIONIZE the bus experience for bus owners and passengers.
3. We build solutions that SCALE to meet the urgency of the climate crisis.
4. We succeed as a TEAM by helping each other grow and thrive.
Climate Capital: What are the key challenges as you scale your company?
Jit & Jonathan: One of the key challenges in our business is the deployment of infrastructure to support a brand-new electrified public transport fleet. While there is strong support for our initiative across the private and public sectors, the complexities of deploying infrastructure in the African market have proven to be one of the most significant challenges we have faced.
Climate Capital: What have you learned that you want to share with other founders?
Jit & Jonathan: We are working on a problem that everyone here in Africa wants solved - the replacement of dirty, uncomfortable, unsafe buses with something better. One of my key takeaways from launching this venture is that when you are working on a problem that you and the world want solved, you will find extraordinary support to help you succeed.
Climate Capital: How can the broader climate community help you on your mission?
Jit & Jonathan: Africa is often overlooked with regard to CO2 mitigation because the continent is responsible for only 3% of global emissions. However, Africa and the Global South are the most affected by climate change, and there are opportunities here for a greater marginal impact on emissions than anywhere else in the world.
Capital flows into the continent for climate mitigation serves the purpose of economic development and improved quality of life. We ask people to share this story and opportunity with the broader climate community so that Africa is not once again left behind in the Great Energy Transition.
If you want to learn more, visit https://www.basi-go.com/!
🧭 Capital Conversations
How Early-Stage Startups Use Debt | July 17 @ 10-10:30 am PT
Join Dimitry Gershenson (Enduring Planet) and Austin Badger (HSBC) as they break down how tools like venture debt and equipment financing can fit into a startup’s capital stack—and what investors need to know to underwrite both impact and returns. Register Here