BuuPass, the Kenyan mobility technology company digitizing transport across Africa, has made history by being named the No. 3 global finalist at the Startup World Cup Grand Finale 2025 in San Francisco. The competition saw over 90 regional winners compete for a $1 million investment prize, with BuuPass securing the highest placement ever for an African startup in the competition’s history.

Africa’s Historic Global Representation
This milestone marks the first time African startups have participated in the global finals of the world’s largest startup competition. Startups representing six African countries—Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, and the Democratic Republic of Congo—took the stage, pitching alongside founders from more than 50 countries around the world.

Representing the continent were: BuuPass (Kenya), Satlyt (Kenya, diaspora-based), Kaltani (Nigeria), Terraworks AI(Uganda), KiasiApp (Tanzania), Vital Audio (Tanzania, diaspora-based), Fintura (South Africa), and Genesis (Democratic Republic of Congo).

Their participation underscores the growing depth and maturity of Africa’s startup ecosystem, with founders delivering globally competitive technologies deeply rooted in local realities.

BuuPass: Building Infrastructure for Scale
Founded by Sonia Kabra and Wyclife Omondi, BuuPass provides a digital infrastructure that enables passengers to book bus and train tickets across multiple African markets via web and mobile platforms.

“Our vision is simple—to make travel seamless and power the next billion journeys across Africa and the world’s fastest-growing markets. We’ve only scratched the surface. Being on this stage with global disruptors is proof that Africa’s startup ecosystems are ready to compete—and win—on the world stage.”— Sonia Kabra, Co-Founder and co-CEO of BuuPass.

To date, BuuPass has facilitated more than 25 million ticket sales, is on track to reach an annualized revenue run rate of approximately $5 million, and recently expanded its reach through the acquisition of QuickBus. The company is backed by global tier-1 investors, including Tim Draper, Google, and Morgan Stanley.

Global Validation
The Startup World Cup Grand Finale served as a powerful showcase for the depth and ambition of African entrepreneurship on the global stage.

“This week the power of collaboration came to fruition in San Francisco at the SWC Grand Finale. Africa was well represented on a Global Stage. Two companies founded by Africans reached the 10 finalists, BuuPass from Kenya and Vital Audio whose founder is from Tanzania. Africa showcased solutions from AI, Waste Management to Space Technologies, indicating we can innovate and solve problems in any industry.”— Geoffrey Kiboneka, Silicon Valley-based investor, Benue Capital

The 2025 Startup World Cup judging panel represented the critical intersection of global venture capital and corporate innovation. The panel featured some of the most influential voices in the world, including Jihong Kim (Managing Director, Samsung), Holly Wu (Venture Capital & Partnerships, Mercedes-Benz Mobility Asia), Rajesh Swaminathan(Partner, Khosla Ventures), Connie Chan (General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz), Scott Beechuk (Partner, Norwest Venture Partners), Emily Zhang (Salesforce Ventures), and Bill Reichert (Pegasus Tech Ventures).

Their collective presence affirmed the competition’s global caliber and the scale of validation earned by African startups like BuuPass, which stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s most innovative companies and proved their readiness for global capital.

Kenya’s Strategic Path to the Finals
Kenya’s participation was coordinated by Silicon Xchange, the official Kenya Regional Partner of the Startup World Cup, working closely with the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA). This unique public-private collaboration laid the groundwork for the continent’s success.

The country’s journey began with the regional pitch competition, hosted in June 2025 during the inaugural Kenya Startup Festival, which featured investors from Antler, Future Africa, and the Nairobi Business Angel Network (NaiBAN).

KeNIA’s involvement underscores a strategic shift by the government. As Dr. Tonny Omwansa, CEO, Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA), explains:
“This partnership is part of KeNIA’s broader strategy to reimagine how the government supports startups, moving beyond policy into direct action. By collaborating with private sector players like Silicon Xchange, we are creating opportunities that are real, visible, and global. BuuPass’s No. 3 finish proves that when the ecosystem aligns, Kenyan innovation can set the global standard.”

This strategic success was strongly reinforced by ecosystem partners:

“Moments like this don’t happen in isolation. They’re the result of ecosystems that are starting to collaborate—policymakers, investors, founders—all aligned to build the global bridges that ensure African innovation receives the sustained access and recognition it has already earned.” — Ashley Njoroge, Founder and CEO of Silicon Xchange

The regional triumph was also noted by policy leaders:

“The increased participation of African countries and the success of BuuPass at this year’s Startup World Cup highlight the growing strength and maturity of Africa’s startup ecosystem. It demonstrates the continent’s enhanced potential to develop homegrown solutions that directly address local challenges and find solutions that are deeply rooted in the African context, unlike many international approaches that often lack this connection. Our East African governments have a critical role to play in nurturing this momentum by creating enabling environments that allow startups to innovate and scale through access to affordable capital and global investors.” — Phillip Luzzi, Trade & Tourism Attaché, Embassy of the Republic of Uganda

About the Startup World Cup Grand Finale
Organized by Pegasus Tech Ventures, the 2025 Grand Finale brought together over 3,000 attendees, more than 90 regional winners, and a lineup of leading industry figures, including Yossi Matias (Google), Mark Papermaster (AMD), Court Lorenzini (DocuSign), Michelle Zatlyn (Cloudflare), Camilla Matias (Brex), and others.

About BuuPass

BuuPass is a mobility technology company that digitizes transport operations across Africa. Through its platform, users can book bus and train tickets and operators can manage schedules and sales digitally. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Nairobi, BuuPass has facilitated over 25 million trips and continues to expand its network across the continent. Learn more at www.buupass.com.

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