ADETAYO BAMIDURO, H’15

Creating the Infrastructure for Nigeria’s Public Transport System

Thousands of hours lost in traffic, millions of dollars lost in productivity. Lagos’s poorly developed public transport system creates a bottleneck for growth in Africa’s most populous country. Harambean Adetayo Bamiduro and his co-founder Chinedu Azodoh decided it was on them to tackle this barrier.

“MAX is on a mission to make moto-taxis safe, affordable and accessible across West Africa.”

Creating Infrastructure

THE CHALLENGE. The lack of transport infrastructure in Nigeria was costing people time and money, inhibiting growth and productivity for the country as a whole and in the individual lives of its citizens.

THE PROCESS. The idea for the solution to this problem came to fruition during Adetayo Bamiduro’s MBA studies at MIT and after a stint at Konga, one of Nigeria’s biggest e-commerce players, where he helped set up the company’s delivery and tracking service. He realized he had the expertise and capabilities to replicate this model and apply it to Nigeria’s transport system issue, and MAX was born. This fleet of trained motorcyclists had its start in completing last-mile deliveries, but Bamiduro soon realized it could be so much more.

By utilizing technology, Bamiduro was able to create African entrepreneurial opportunities that leveraged his country and his fellow citizens.

THE RESULT. Today, over 300,000 trips later and over 500 drivers strong, MAX also services commuters, transporting them on their journeys throughout Lagos. Nigeria’s public transport system is improving exponentially as MAX grows and expands its reach in the country.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MAX

MAXOkada offers you a safe way to move around Lagos, Nigeria. You can conveniently hail a motorcycle ride with the tap of a button and have a Champion (rider) pick and drop you or your packages off at your destination.

With MAXBusiness, your dispatch needs are covered in bulk. Get your packages delivered to multiple locations with dedicated Champions. Now you can send goods or documents fast and easy.

Leveraging Technology

ABOUT ADETAYO BAMIDURO

Leveraging Technology for African Entrepreneurial Opportunities

Following a degree in computer science and starting his own software venture, Bamiduro was destined for a comfortable life, pursuing a career in Nigeria’s extractive industries. However, his dream of leveraging technology to make an impact and his strong disposition towards executing ideas to create African entrepreneurial opportunities for millions of disenfranchised citizens, eventually led him to apply to MIT.

And it was during his time in Cambridge, Massachusetts, surrounded by the most talented students from around the world and supported by the best faculty one could ask for, that he decided to turn Nigeria’s public transport challenge into a logistics opportunity. His time at Konga made him realise that while a lot of innovation took place in the electronic payment space, little was done to solve the last-mile logistics barrier that stood in-between merchants and buyers.

“We asked ourselves: Do you want to apply for a job or actually go back and solve this problem? It was a very clear answer for both of us.”

Attracting Investors

An idea that started as a school project grew quickly into a company that attracted investors such as Techstars and the Shell Foundation, which never before had invested into a locally-owned West African company. MAX also sparked the interest of Jack Ma, founder of Chinese multinational e-commerce conglomerate Alibaba, allowing the founders to learn first-hand how Alibaba transformed ecommerce, logistics, and payments in China over the last two decades.

“Alibaba was able to achieve so much success by putting their merchants first, building an elaborate ecosystem around them.”

I AM A HARAMBEAN

Adetayo Bamiduro became a Harambean in 2015, while still at MIT. A decision driven by the desire to connect with a network of mission oriented and mission driven young Africans, dedicated to solving the continent’s entrepreneurial and economic challenges. A decision that gave him permission to dream even bolder and nurture MAX’s definition of success:

“When every African across every African city can access mototaxis safely and affordable at the click of a button.”
Subscribe for Updates
Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media