Jesse Forrester started an e-mobility company in Kenya after deciding against going to university
Jesse Forrester started an e-mobility company in Kenya after deciding against going to university
If you look at three different photographs of Jesse Forrester today, you will notice that they all feature the same unmistakable red cap.
“It was a gift from a dear friend, and it has come to symbolize the people who have supported me, and I carry them with me wherever I go,” Jesse explained.
“I think it's also quite cool.”
He explained how the hat contributes to his pan-African identity.
Jesse was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. After graduating from high school, he moved to South Africa to complete his A-levels at the African Leadership Academy (ALA).
His time at ALA exposed him to a variety of things, one of which was a sizable network of pan-African thinkers.
His red cap has frequently led to him being mistaken for a Nigerian, which he does not shy away from. However, he never fails to remind people that the cap originated in Tunisia, a country in North Africa.
Following ALA, Jesse accepted a fellowship. It was his first attempt at employment, and he quickly discovered that it was not something he desired.
He was also unenthusiastic about the prospect of attending university. As a result, he did something he'd always desired: he founded his own business.
Today, his company Mazi Mobility is backed by global venture capital firm Satgana and is tasked with establishing an African electric vehicle ecosystem. They recently launched a new fleet of electric bodas, or motorcycles, to accomplish this.
When he speaks of Africa and the possibilities for e-mobility, his enthusiasm is almost palpable.
He founded his company without a college education and is now preparing to dominate the African e-mobility market.
Jesse Forrester is his name, and this is his life in technology.
You can see it if you look back
Jesse grew up in the Eastlands' Huruma flats. He shared a home with both of his parents, but spent more time with his mother.
He desired to be a pilot as a child, but his interests varied. On some days, he desired to simply sit in front of the television and watch a NatGeo documentary about exotic animals in the dense Amazon, while on others, his PlayStation 2 provided sufficient entertainment.
There was no specific point in time when he decided he no longer wanted to be a pilot. It was one of those things that appeared one day but gradually faded away over time – much like a puddle drying in the sun.
His diverse interests grew to include his school's small businesses – selling lemonade and sweets. He also enjoyed tinkering with things – disassembling and reassembling them.
Mazi Mobility, Jesse's startup, enables boda riders to own and operate electric vehicles that contribute to global climate change mitigation by reducing CO emissions.
To pinpoint the moment in his life when he became inspired to work for a cleaner Africa, two factors must be considered: a minister who did his job and a matatu's smoke cloud.
In 2004, John Michuki served as Kenya's Minister of Transportation. At the time, the country's bus system, or matatus, was in disrepair. These vehicles lacked speed governors and seat belts, and frequently carried more passengers than were permitted.
Michuki established the 'Michuki Rules,' which revolutionized the transportation industry by establishing strict guidelines for matatus at the time. However, they unintentionally inspired a prepubescent Jesse.
“I actually witnessed a significant change that had a profound effect. And, according to my mother, I stated that I desired a position in the field of transportation, such as transport minister.”
Fast forward to 2018, and Jesse was back in Nairobi after studying in South Africa.
“I was walking around the city, minding my own business, when this massive matatu cuts me off and just as it's about to leave, the thing blows a huge amount of smoke in my face.”
Set 14 years apart, these two events not only laid the groundwork for Mazi Mobility, but also influenced the choices of a young man who is passionate about the environment.
“Jesse, meet Tech”
“My foray into technology began in secondary school, where I learned a great deal about what goes into a game and how to create one,” Jesse explained during our WhatsApp call.
His first exposure to technology came via MIT's Scratch Blocks. The program enabled users to develop programming skills by visually coding with blocks.
He didn't stop at software exploration; his tinkering paid off when he was given the opportunity to work with Arduino motherboards, which enable people to build complex computer systems from the ground up.
“I desired to be a good engineer; this was a natural path for me because it involved both hardware and software.”
Jesse's tango with technology did not end with his senior year of high school. It followed him all the way to the ALA.
When bitcoin was still only worth $2,000 in 2017, blockchain was primarily known as the technology that underpins bitcoin and little else. It developed into an intriguing tool for Jesse.
“I used to be a member of a blockchain club. I was running for treasurer [in the student government], and the decision was made to conduct the elections via blockchain.”
He would go on to win the elections and also create a project that garnered $100,000 for his school.
The journey to Mazi by way of ALA
'Mazi' was not always synonymous with 'Mazi Mobility.' It was once a photography collective, prior to Jesse's admission to ALA – one of Jesse's many interests.
However, gaining admission to the Africa Leadership Academy was not an easy process for him.
If there is one thing you must understand about Jesse Forrester, it is that he has high standards for himself. He first heard of the Academy when he was 12 years old and knew he wanted to attend, but the minimum age requirement was 15 years old, so he decided to wait.
He was in the midst of his high school education at the time and chose not to apply until he was finished. He finally applied in his senior year of high school.
“I was placed on a waiting list. As a result, I carried a chip on my shoulder, as I needed to demonstrate that I possessed the leadership potential necessary to gain admission to the school.”
What followed was the formation of Mazi – a photography collective dedicated to fostering environmental discourse, delivering a TEDx talk, and obtaining networking certifications.
And what was he going to do with all of this? He provided an update to ALA. They needed to understand why he was there.
They listened this time. He was accepted and resumed his studies in South Africa for the duration of his two-year course.
Jesse was a member of the ALA team that created "The Living Machine," a water treatment system that won the 2019 $100,000 Zayed Sustainability Prize.
Jesse decided to start an electric matatu company after his encounter with the smoky matatu in 2018.
“I wanted to start by installing solar panels on matatus, but quickly realized that was not a good idea because one matatu requires about 60 of them.”
He was able to connect with his co-founder and founding investor Troy Barrie after a few phone calls.
While they were debating how to launch the business, Jesse was required to leave the country for a brief period to present a report on The Living Machine in Abu Dhabi. He also had the opportunity to interview musician and investor Akon during this trip.
When he returned and established himself, he quit his job to devote his full attention to Mazi. They devised a strategy for attracting investors. This occurred in March 2020.
Building Mazi through a pandemic and looking to the future
“So we're back to running a hardware business in Africa, in the midst of a pandemic?” ” Jesse said this with a laugh. It was absurd to consider.
The potential investors all seemed to say the same thing: "So we're concentrating our efforts right now on our portfolio companies." Let's reconnect in about a year."
And who could blame them, given how strange the year 2020 was.
However, he required funding, and to the majority of people, Jesse appeared insane. While Jesse dealt with the anxiety and despair associated with 2020, he also needed to raise enough money to match the investment of his founding investor.
A $15,000 grant from ALA aided in the turnaround, and the electric motorcycles arrived in Kenya in February – sort of.
“The thing is, when you import something from China, particularly these motorcycles, you receive no manuals. As a result, we had no idea what to assemble due to the language barrier, which made it extremely difficult,” Jesse explained.
“I'm overjoyed that one of my chief engineers is a really smart guy who also happens to be a biker.”
The team would spend the next month figuring out the bikes and how to assemble them. They worked "from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m."
A deadline for a prototype bike loomed, and during our conversation, Jesse reflected on how it felt at the time.
They were four men in his living room, attempting to assemble an electronic boda. They decided on a Saturday that they would have to work all night to figure it out. They had ugali and eggs for dinner that night.
By 6 a.m. Sunday, despite the fact that none of them had slept a wink, they had built their first product entirely on their own in Jesse's living room.
“And I'm extremely proud to say that all of our bikes are assembled entirely in Kenya, by Kenyans. And we have the capacity to assemble over 200 bikes per month – with a very small team. Without financial investment.”
“I always tell investors, 'If you give us X dollars, imagine what we can do,'” he explained.
As I always do with these interviews, I asked Jesse Forrester about his future plans.
“The total addressable market in East Africa is currently estimated to be around $12 billion for electric motorcycles alone, and I say, hey, we want a piece of that pie, so I want to do over 1000 bodas by the end of next year. I want to increase the number of bodas to over 5000 by the end of 2023, using up to 200 tuktuks and 100 matatus.”
Courses and Certification
Fundamentals of Science and Technology Course and Certificate
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I.T Project Management Course and Certificate
Project Management Tech Course and Certificate
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