Kigali City is becoming more popular and its transportation is improving as a result. There are an estimated 30,000 taxi motorbikes in Rwanda. Currently, facilitation services for these ‘taxi motorcycles’ are slow and expensive – both in terms of time and cost – for many taxi motorcycle operators. Founded by Junior Kanamugire, PikiWash is a startup that provides a solution to the most effective, effective and efficient motorbike cleaning and basic maintenance services.
Introduce yourself and your journey
A civil engineer by trade, with many years of experience in various projects, I quickly picked up the interest of starting up business ventures, specifically targeting resolving problems in Africa. PikiWash was founded out of the need to provide an eco-friendly, sustainable, reliable and quick cleaning services to the multitude of motorcycles on the continent.
What is your project and its mission?
PikiWash Ltd. provides a solution to the challenge most motorbike operators in Kigali face: being able to access modern effective and efficient motorbike cleaning and basic maintenance services.
Such services will ensure that bikes are cleaned/washed and/or serviced within the shortest time possible and at an affordable rate.
How did you get the idea to start your business?
PikIWash was born from the thirst I have always had of finding solutions for current problem in my ecosystem, and that is how I managed to find a need in the market of motorcycle operators in the city of Kigali, and later we found on the entire continent, and the potential for a business in resolving the problem of finding sustainable, eco-friendly and quick motorcycle cleaning services.
PikiWash is mostly ran by myself, with operations being handled by Innocent Rusagara, a technician in charge of the maintenance of the machine, and one site manager who handles client relations and manage all transactions.
Can you introduce your team?
The team comprises of myself, the managing director, Innocent, Operations Coordinator, Frank, the Technical supervisor, and site managers that are in charge of managing each site’s day to day operations
What is the problem solved by PikiWash ?
The current competition of Pikiwash is traditional wash stations scattered all across the city, and they are using natural streams and rivers, which is an obvious environmental hazard. Also, the bad quality of the water and lack of training results in inconsistent and poor services. Lastly they are very time consuming, given the fact that the washes are done manually, and by poorly trained staff. PikiWash addresses all of these problems by providing state of the art, eco-friendly and quick cleaning services for our customers.
What are the next steps ?
Our short term plans are to have the Rwandan market covered in the next year, and slowly reaching the region and eventually the market.
We are hoping that in 5 years, PikiWash will be operating in up to 8 countries on the continent, and shortly followed by the car wash sister company. We are also hoping that the expansion will be fueled by a franchising model we are currently developing.
What do you need and how can Seedstars / AfrikaTech help you?
Our new partners can help us raise funds, but most importantly help us create the necessary networks to go and reach other markets, as we are hoping to reach 8 countries on the continent.
What are the contacts of the startup? Website, email, Mobile / WhatsApp, links to social networks?
PikiWash Ltd.
Cell (Whatsapp): +250 78 486 0235
Email: junior@pikiwash.com
Web: www.pikiwash.com
Twitter: @pikiwash
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pikiwash/
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