Nigeria - Startup under 3 years old

Describe your project or startup in a few words

Nowaka- derived from the Nigerian colloquial word 'Waka' which means walk. It is an errand and food delivery business aimed at reducing the number of trips residents have to make within their residential area, while also meeting their consumption needs.

01.01 Describe your startup in more detail

Nowaka is an eco-friendly logistics and errands service company that was conceived to improve the lifestyle of Riders, Residents, and Business owners at an affordable cost within residential areas. It was ideally structured to accommodate short-distance transportation with little consumption of energy and zero-carbon emission. The system has been formulated in the long run to attune with the global sustainable development goals and also improve the ecosystem while maximising profit.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

Nowaka aims to bridge the gap between food vendors, consumers, and residents. We are on a mission to ensure errands and food delivery are affordable, accessible, and energy-efficient with the use of bicycles or electric bikes. The product is formulated to enhance short-distance transportation, improve energy conservation, and globally contribute to net zero.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your startup provides (at least 3).

First and foremost, Nowaka is dedicated to significantly improving resident's lifestyles by drastically reducing the use of fossil fuels from residents' cars and vendors' motorcycles within residential environments. Secondly, through the promotion of bicycles for short-distance transport, we are determined to enhance the lifestyle and well-being of our riders through cycling. Lastly, we are committed to substantially lowering the cost of errands and food delivery for consumers and food vendors."

01.04 Please describe who exactly your startup’s product/service is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

Nowaka is dedicated to serving both B2B and B2C markets, providing for residents, food vendors, businesses, and consumers.

01.05 When was your company established?

2023-10-03

01.06 Are you already selling your product/service?

Yes

01.07 How many other owners are there within your startup?

0

01.08 Among the other owners, how many are female?

0

01.09 Please describe the profile of the other owners within your startup (skills, experience, etc.)

NIL

01.10 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link(s) here:

https://www.nowaka.ng/

01.11 Which industry best describes your project?

c) Industry (equipment, commercial, logistical and professional services, transport)

02.01.01 My startup contributes to the No poverty goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification for my startup

By regularly employing both skilled office workers and non-skilled workers (cyclists), we are dedicated to enhancing our labor force and generating more employment opportunities.

02.02.01 My startup contributes to the Zero hunger goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification for my startup

Our partnership with food vendors aims to lower the cost of transporting food to consumers, ultimately improving access to affordable food. Our e-commerce platform also provides a convenient window for discovering a variety of foods.

02.03.01 My startup contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification for my startup

Cycling is one of the most beneficial ways to stay fit and healthy. With the use of bicycles for our service, our riders are sure to stay fit and healthy without resorting to a gym or other exercising activities that can be time- and resource-consuming.

02.04.01 My startup contributes to the Quality education goal

6

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification for my startup

Our goal is to empower families and individuals with the knowledge of food education and proper food hygiene through our social media channels, ultimately lowering the risk of illness caused by consuming contaminated foods.

02.05.01 My startup contributes to the Gender equality goal

5

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification for my startup

Our business caters to all genders, with both male and female riders, skilled workers, and business relationship managers.

02.06.01 My startup contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

5

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification for my startup

Our service to residents reduces their need to walk, thus minimizing waste and saving resources within their residential quarter.

02.07.01 My startup contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification for my startup

With the use of bicycles, we are ideally structured to accommodate short-distance transportation with little energy consumption affordable delivery fees, and zero carbon emissions.

02.08.01 My startup contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

6

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification for my startup

The business operations are overseen by skilled (software developers, customer representatives, and managers) and unskilled workers (Riders) whose collaboration ensures that all aspects of the business are properly maintained.

02.09.01 My startup contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

5

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification for my startup

With our e-commerce platform for food and other businesses, we create a platform to improve online sales and purchases within the locations we cover.

02.10.01 My startup contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

5

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification for my startup

Although the majority of our riders are males, consideration will be given to ladies as customer support staff and field agent.

02.11.01 My startup contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

5

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification for my startup

Nowaka was conceived to improve the lifestyle of Riders, Residents, and Business owners at an affordable cost within residential areas

02.12.01 My startup contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

5

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification for my startup

With our focus on food delivery and food sales, our startup daily contributes to the consumption and production chain with a competitive price within the location we cover.

02.13.01 My startup contributes to the Climate action goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification for my startup

Nowaka is intended to reduce and eliminate the emissions of carbon and fossil fuels within the locations we cover by focusing on the use of Bicycles for short-distance delivery.

02.14.01 My startup contributes to the Life below water goal

2

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification for my startup

Nil

02.15.01 My startup contributes to the Life on land goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification for my startup

Our primary focus is to reduce carbon emissions and fossil fuels to improve the net zero within our environment. As a result, this will significantly increase afforestation due to higher levels of carbon dioxide.

02.16.01 My startup contributes to the Peace Justice and Strong Institutions goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.16.02 Peace Justice and Strong Institutions- Justification for my startup

Our startup is actively working to reduce the country's unemployment rate through the recruitment of both educated and uneducated workers, which will directly contribute to a decrease in crime and vices among youths.

02.17.01 My startup contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

6

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification for my startup

Our startup is open to partnerships, as we are currently accommodating some B2B partners (food vendors) and businesses.

06.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

6

06.02 The product/service represents an entirely new type of product/service.

6

06.03 The product/service could be described as a new technology.

5

06.04 The product/service is an improvement on an existing product or service.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.05 The product/service could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

6

06.06 The product/service responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

5

06.07 The product/service is a new version of an old product/service.

3

06.08 Justification for my startup

In light of the saturation of logistics businesses in urban areas like Lagos, our startup has strategically positioned itself to cater to a specific and underserved market. We specialize in addressing the short-distance logistics needs within residential environments, particularly focusing on the high demand for food and other household errands. Because we cover a short radius, our riders are fast, and the prices for our service are affordable

06.09 Competitive Analysis

We at Nowaka distinguish ourselves from competitors such as Chowdeck and Glovo by focusing on scaling up within residential estates and exclusively collaborating with vendors and businesses in the estates we cover in Ikota, Lagos Island. Our unmatched advantage lies in offering the most cost-effective logistics fare, made possible by the limited radius we cover.

11.05 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?