Fleeti has announced its coming in Reunion in 2022, having already established itself in Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Mauritius. The announcement comes on the heels of the startup recent $1.1m seed funding led by Newfund, Groupe Clim, Janngo, SkalePark, Mapinvest, and other business angels. Fleeti leverages the Internet of Things to improve vehicle fleet management. Gabriel Delerue, one of the startup’s co-founders, discusses more below…
What drew two graduates of Edhec, one of France’s top business schools, to take on the task of managing vehicle fleets in Africa?
Gabriel Delerue: Senegal was where I spent the majority of my childhood. Iban Olçomendy, my business partner, is Basque. He was working for Jumia (a pan-African e-commerce site dubbed “African Amazon” — Editor’s note) when we met. We have collaborated to establish a network of high-quality garages in Dakar at affordable costs. In a nutshell — neither I nor Iban are mechanics (laughs) — our clients urged us to shift our focus from physical maintenance to cost optimization through telematics. As a result, Fleeti was conceived.
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Could you share more information about Fleeti?
We’ve created software that helps businesses make better use of their fleets of vehicles and machines. It enables more stringent fuel management and exact monitoring of vehicle condition and, as a result, vehicle maintenance. The Internet of Things is the foundation of our solution. It is made up of hardware (cameras, probes, and sensors) as well as software (SAAS platform). Fleeti collects a significant amount of data, but more importantly, it is able to make it understandable so that business executives can make the best decisions possible. Data visualization is what we do. Our technology can help a firm save up to 20% on fuel costs! The construction, agriculture, distribution, and delivery industries are all contenders for our solution. Our market is expanding at a rate of 20% each year.
Your startup gathers and analyzes data. Their data collecting, on the other hand, is extremely sensitive. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) exists . How can you adhere to them while still assuring your customers?
That is an excellent question. It is critical for our customers. We collect highly confidential and thus sensitive information as a result of our activities. Our main issue is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We comply with local legislation in Mauritius, Senegal, and, eventually, Ivory Coast. Furthermore, all of our information is encrypted and safeguarded. They are kept in France, or at the very least in Europe. As a result, the GDPR protects them. Above all, they cannot be monetized during or after our clients’ contracts.
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What Are On The Fleeti Team?
The Fleeti team is made up of people from over ten different countries and spans the Basque Country, the Technopole Izarbel, and Africa, with regional offices in Dakar and Mauritius.
Fleeti raised one million euros from the Newfund investment fund and business angels, demonstrating the seriousness of your project?
That is correct. This funding will enable us to speed up the technological development of our instrument and expand the reach of our solution into new markets. You are in Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Mauritius, to be precise.
What’s the status of your deployment in the Indian Ocean, namely in Reunion?
We have genuine pan-African ambitions, and I emphasize solely African ambitions. Mauritius is still a “small” market, but it is first and foremost a testing ground. The maturity of its participants “tests” our ability to provide high-quality services. We’ve already visited four countries. Fleeti plans to open in Reunion in 2022, demonstrating our ambitions. There are no immediate plans for Madagascar unless an opportunity occurs.
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer