Electric mobility startup Dodai has raised $13 million in a Series A financing round to accelerate the deployment of electric motorbikes and battery-swapping infrastructure across Ethiopia.
The round consists of $8 million in equity and $5 million in debt, with participation from a mix of international investors including British International Investment (BII), Value Chain Innovation Fund, UTokyo Innovation Platform Co., Ltd., Nagase & Co., Ltd., Persistent ACV Fund, For Seasons, CBC Co., Ltd., and Inclusion Japan.
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Founded three years ago, Dodai has focused on building an electric mobility ecosystem in Addis Ababa—a market often overlooked compared to larger African startup hubs. The company entered the space early, aligning with Ethiopia’s policy direction, including the government’s move to restrict the import of fuel-powered vehicles, a shift that has strengthened demand for electric alternatives.
To date, Dodai has assembled and deployed more than 2,000 electric motorbikes and built a workforce of around 100 employees, the majority of whom are Ethiopian. Its model combines vehicle deployment with battery-swapping infrastructure, aimed at reducing upfront costs and downtime for riders.
With fresh capital, the company plans to scale rapidly. Over the next 12 months, Dodai targets 3,000 active battery-swapping users supported by 30 stations across Addis Ababa. Over a three-year horizon, it aims to expand to 30,000 users and 1,000 battery-swapping stations in the city, before entering other African markets including Abidjan, Kinshasa, and Accra.
Commenting on the investment, BII CEO Leslie Maasdorp described Ethiopia as “one of Africa’s most compelling frontier markets for the clean mobility transition,” noting that scaling e-mobility infrastructure can unlock both economic and environmental benefits.
Dodai’s SVP and Head of Corporate, Hilina Legesse, said the funding signals growing international confidence in the company’s model. She highlighted that the platform has already enabled over 2,000 riders to generate income, positioning the company at the intersection of clean transport, job creation, and urban logistics.
The raise comes as Ethiopia’s urban transport and delivery sectors continue to expand, driven by rapid population growth and rising demand for affordable mobility solutions. Dodai’s next phase will test whether its integrated approach, combining local assembly, financing, and energy infrastructure, can scale sustainably in one of Africa’s most complex but promising markets.
