YOBANTE EXPRESS

YOBANTE EXPRESS is a logistics and transportation startup that has established itself as a marketplace for connecting local carriers with local commerce to optimize domestic, cross-border, and last-mile delivery. The company, founded in 2018 and headquartered in Senegal, aims to address the last-mile delivery challenges in Africa. Its web and mobile platform facilitates the connection between e-commerce, retailers, businesses, and individuals with independent and casual carriers to handle point-to-point deliveries. YOBANTE EXPRESS operates through a resilient mesh network of independent agents and casual carriers, providing opportunities for anyone owning a vehicle, traveling in the parcel's direction, or with a physical location to earn money within its network. The startup's innovative approach formalizes informal parcel delivery in Africa through trackability and utilizes proprietary machine learning algorithms to optimize the allocation of casual carriers and relay point utilization. This approach helps plan efficient routes within the mesh network. Its unique process involves a client requesting delivery through the app or a nearby relay point, followed by packing, attaching a unique online tracking barcode, and optimized routing using machine learning algorithms until the last-mile delivery. Recipients confirm the receipt using a unique PIN code. In September 2021, the company secured a $1.20M investment in a Seed Round from Launch Africa, R-Ventures, Aguila Investments, and Grenfell Holdings. The strategic investment is expected to fuel the expansion and further development of YOBANTE EXPRESS as it continues to address the last-mile delivery challenges across multiple African markets.