Nigerian shared mobility startup Plentywaka, which provides hassle-free shared rides on-demand, has changed its name to Treepz as it looks to rebrand in line with its pan-African expansion plan.
Launched in 2019 by Onyeka Akumah, Johnny Ena, John Shaibu and Afolabi Oluseyi, the Lagos-based Plentywaka is a bus-hailing solution that allows commuters to book and pay for trips in real-time.
The startup has seen substantial growth over the last year, completing almost 500,000 rides and also launching a B2C logistics platform. It was accepted into the Techstars Toronto accelerator programme earlier this year.
Last month, it secured US$1.2 million in seed funding and announced the acquisition of Ghanaian startup stabus as it begins its pan-African expansion, which has now led it to a rebrand. Plentywaka will from now on be known as Treepz, a name the startup feels better represents the vision of the company which is to build the largest shared mobility platform across Africa.
As part of the name change, Treepz has released a new company logo. Its core service offerings will remain the same but with new names – Daily Treepz, Travel Treepz, and Corporate Treepz. Its existing mission statement and “black and yellow” brand colours will also be retained for marketing and branding purposes.
“This name change is a result of in-depth discussions with our stakeholders, partners and staff. After we discovered that the term “waka” can mean different things across Africa, which may be completely different from travel or movement, we decided to change the name from “Plentywaka” to “Treepz”, which is pronounced “trips”,” Akumah said.
He added that the new name boldly stated the startup’s mission to provide safe, convenient and comfortable trips across Africa, with Treepz planning to expand to six further African countries in the next two years.
