Want to invest in Roam? Here’s your chance

November 06, 2025

Dear subscriber,

The Swahili people have a saying that says little by little fills the container. In a startup funding world where large venture capital and private equity firms dominate, crowdfunding is emerging as a viable alternative. But does it work? 

Brian Ambani – Editor

Electric motorcycle company Roam has commenced a crowdfunding campaign, inviting the general public to invest in the company for the first time. Roam has set the minimum investment at KES 150,000 ($1,163). “We have a limited amount we are allocating to our community but we have no target (amount),” Roam co-founder Albin Wilson told Mobility Rising.  

  • Roam says it commands 40% of the electric motorcycle market in Kenya and recorded a 550% revenue growth between 2020 and 2023. The company, which has a manufacturing capacity of 50,000 units annually, expects €40 million ($46.3 million) revenue from carbon credits within 5 years.  

  • Africa’s EV sector heavily relies on large, institutional investors. Roam’s crowdfunding drive transitions financing from being purely reliant on institutional capital to a community-supported, locally-owned model. 

  • Our take: To attract takers, Roam will have to show potential investors a clear path to getting significant returns on investment… Read more (2 min)

One student was killed and several injured this week after an electric motorcycle exploded while charging at the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal. Initial findings show the fire was caused by an electrical overload due to the improper use of a household power socket. This type of outlet is not designed to handle several EV being charged at the same time. 

  • The majority of EVs in Africa are charged at home. While rare, improper charging procedures can cause overload on sockets, raising the risk of fire.  

  • Standardisation and certification of home chargers to meet safety standards ensure more safety for riders when charging at home. 

  • Our take: Making EV charging as safe and reliable as fuelling a vehicle will help grow sales… Read more (2 min)

Mobility Rising features 27 new job openings across the EV sector this week. Kenya dominates with open roles at M-Kopa, Mazi Mobility, Spiro and Watu Credit, while Rwanda and Ethiopia also register notable activity. West Africa maintains momentum with MAX and Greenwheels hiring. There were few jobs in North Africa, with only Shift EV hiring in Egypt.

  • Spiro continues its strong hiring streak across engineering and infrastructure roles, and Zeno reappears on the board with fresh openings. Financiers like M-Kopa and Watu Credit remain consistent recruiters.

  • This week’s roles emphasise logistics, technical execution and business management, mirroring the maturing structure of Africa’s e-mobility ecosystem.

  • To read the full list, click here… (2 min)

Arc Ride CEO Joseph Hurst-Croft participates in a panel discussion in South Africa (Source: Arc Ride)

Events 

📅 Register for the EV Revolution Africa Conference in Ghana (Dec 3)

📅 Book a slot at the Africa EVs Expo in Kenya (Dec 4)

📅 Attend EMAK’s open day (Dec 5)

Various 

🔋 Dodai launches procedure for sourcing dead batteries

💰 WesBank partners with Geely South Africa to make EVs affordable

🔌 Raya receives approval to establish EV charging station in Egypt

Seen on LinkedIn 

Enock Ngeno, Operations Associate at Zeno, says, “Kenya’s EV fleet contributes only a small additional load—roughly 1–3 MW—well within national generation capacity. However, if the fleet grows to 100,000–200,000 vehicles, the focus shifts from generation capacity to the ability of local distribution networks to handle peak loads.”