For-profit social business specializing in bicycle components for sub-Saharan Africa
Bicycle Boda Boda in Masindi, Uganda (2009)Working bicycle in Mwingi, Kenya (2013)Working bicycle in Moshi, Tanzania (2013)
Baisikeli Ugunduzi is a for-profit social business that specializes in bicycle components for the Sub-Saharan African market.[1][2][3]Baisikeli Ugunduzi means innovative or modern bicycles in Swahili.[4] It was founded in the winter of 2011 by Ben Mitchell, whom holds a MS in mechanical engineering as is currently seeking his PhD at Michigan Technological University[5] and John Gershenson, a professor of mechanical engineering at MTU.[2][6] Baisikeli Ugunduzi is headquartered in Kitale, Kenya, Africa. It is considered a for-profit social venture,[by whom?] where it develops human-centered products, which seeks to raise the income of boda boda, who rely on the bicycle as a means of livelihood.[4][7]
Funding
Baisikeli Ugunduzi was awarded $100,000 in Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) stage 1 funding from USAID.[1][8] The enterprise won first place in the Central Michigan University New Venture Competition, worth $30,000, plus an additional $10,000 for Best Social Venture,[5][9][10][11][12] was awarded "Top 40 Project 2012" in the Dell Social Innovation Challenge,[2] and was a semi-finalist for an Echoing Green Fellowship.[13] A campaign to raise $40,000 in 40 days on Indiegogo, however, was unsuccessful.[14][15]
In April 2014, Baisikeli Ugunduzi placed third in the Global Social Venture Challenge where they were awarded $7,500.[citation needed]
Product
Their first product is a bicycle tire inner tube replacement made of an elastic material, called the Milele Tube, which cannot go flat.[1][16]Milele means forever in Swahili.[2] It is a solid, cylindrical piece of elastic material that replaces the standard inner tube and can be cut to length to fit any size tire.[16] It is being made with three different firmness levels. There is a soft tube for the front tire, which carries less of the total load; a medium tube for light loads on the rear; and a firm tube for heavy loads such as passengers or cargo. One test rider used the firm tube to carry 200 kg (440 lb) for 100 km (62 mi).[16] They approximate a pneumatic tube at 65 psi (4.5 bar).[4] The first day of sales was April 6, 2013.[17]
Market
More than 5 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa depend on bicycles to earn a living,[1] such as boda boda operators, and they can spend up to a quarter of their incomes just to fix flat tires.[1] Traditional bicycle tubes cost $3,[1] and the Milele tube cost just over $10, but can last up to five years.[1]
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