Kabba's Founding Story: How Three Friends Identified a Gap in Ethiopia's Transport Market
The origin story of how Blen, Leul, and Nahom came together to solve a widespread problem.
Kabba Team
January 15, 2025
Every great company starts with a moment of frustration that turns into determination. Here's how Kabba Transport began.
The Problem We Saw
In 2021, Addis Ababa parents faced a daily crisis: how to get their children to school safely.
The options were bleak:
- Public minibuses: Unsafe, unreliable, stressful
- Private drivers: Expensive, not always trustworthy
- School buses: Limited availability, rigid schedules
- Family arrangements: Disruptive to work schedules
As a mother of three, I lived this problem every single day.
The Spark
I wasn't alone. My brother Leul and our friend Nahom had seen the same problem in their communities.
We started talking: "There has to be a better way."
"We're not just building a better transportation system; we're redefining what public transit should look like." — Nahom Mekonen
The Three Pillars
When we founded Kabba Transport in 2021, we built on three principles:
1. Safety First
No child should be at risk during their school commute. Every driver would be vetted. Every vehicle would have quality assurance.
2. Technology as Enabler
We'd leverage technology for real-time tracking, route optimization, and seamless booking. Parents should know where their children are.
3. Community at Heart
Transportation isn't just routes and vehicles—it's people. We'd build relationships with families, drivers, and schools.
The Early Days
Starting wasn't glamorous:
- Limited funding — We bootstrapped initially
- Building trust — Convincing parents to try something new
- Finding drivers — Building a vetted network from scratch
- Developing technology — Creating our platform from the ground up
Our Growth Journey
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Founded by 3 friends |
| 2022 | App launched in September |
| 2023 | Full-scale operations begin |
| 2024 | 400,000+ trips completed |
| 2025 | 10% EV fleet achieved |
The Team Expands
In late 2021, we welcomed our fourth co-founder, Sosh Furi, who brought the technical expertise to build our platform. His company, Vintage Technologies, built all our apps.
Looking Back, Moving Forward
Sometimes I think about those early days—the doubt, the challenges, the uncertainty. But then I think about:
- 300+ children transported monthly
- 400,000+ safe trips
- Families who trust us
- Team members who believe in our mission
The problem we saw became the solution we built. And this is just the beginning.
What problems do you see in your community that need solving?