The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the massification of micromobility on a global scale, as citizens migrated from public transportation, due to biosecurity measures, to new ways of getting around.
It was precisely during this period of uncertainty that two Bolivian entrepreneurs decided to launch a mobility solution that, in less than two years, has had a great impact on the Bolivian vehicle fleet and will soon be available in other Latin American countries.
This is MOBI, a startup whose mission is to offer users greater transportation accessibility. Through an app, available for iOS and Android, anyone can get a scooter or bicycle in a matter of seconds.
Transcending Borders
After its rapid penetration in the Bolivian market, MOBI is ready to make the international leap. The company announced that it will start operations in Asunción (Paraguay) and Viña del Mar (Chile), closing the year with five cities and three countries.
Specifically in the Paraguayan capital, MOBI plans to launch more than 150 scooters, mechanical and electric bicycles and electrified motorcycles. This will be a milestone for Bolivia, as it will become an exporter of hardware and software technology, taking a shared micromobility system based on solar energy beyond its borders.
In addition to the countries that the Bolivian startup will reach in the coming months, it is also likely to reach the U.S. market in the short term, since they received an invitation to operate in Miami, after the global recognition achieved this year, when it won first place in the Miami Mobility Challenge 2022, a sustainable mobility contest in which more than 2,000 ventures from around the world participated.
Ariel Revollo, CEO of MOBI, highlighted that the expansion plans are part of the second phase of the project, which they have dubbed “Ignite the Change.” “In 15 months we have completed our first stage, which was to consolidate in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Now the time has come to start scaling up, taking our system to other cities inside and outside the country,” he added.
More about MOBI
The company was founded in 2020 by two Bolivian entrepreneurs: Ariel Revollo, who consolidated the first automotive industry in the country, and Juan Pablo Velasco, who has among his achievements the first sale of a Bolivian startup to an international company (Pedidos YA).
Through the integration of hardware and software, both have consolidated MOBI as the first alternative solar transportation system.
MOBI entered into a strategic alliance with the Bolivian government to manufacture lithium batteries. All of the startup’s batteries are produced in the same format and are interchangeable between its different vehicles.
Together with its investor, Biopetrol, they have deployed the first electro-power stations in the country. In line with its environmentally friendly principle, all batteries are charged through solar energy.
According to data provided by the company, the most frequent users of its service are people between 30 and 35 years of age, who use MOBI to go to work, visit friends or even to walk around the city. The low cost, with the most competitive prices in Latin America, is a bait that helps to promote this new way of getting around.
