Treepz launches in Canada, extends African mobility innovation to global stage

Treepz, the African-founded corporate mobility startup, has launched operations in Canada, marking a significant milestone in its international expansion. The unveiling took place at Brampton City Hall, Ontario, with its first North American client and partner being the University of Toronto–sponsored African Impact Initiative.

This strategic entry into Canada represents Treepz’s first step into the global market, reinforcing its vision to become a leading player in corporate mobility worldwide.

Founded in September 2019, in Lagos, Nigeria, Treepz was launched to address urban transportation challenges with a customer-first approach. Since then, it has grown to operate in 25 cities across five African countries, claiming to have served over 6 million users in just five years. Treepz also became the first Nigerian company to join the BHive startup program in Brampton, a major hub for innovation in Canada.

Treepz’s international ambitions began taking shape in 2021 during its participation in the Techstars Toronto accelerator. It was during this period that CEO Onyeka Akumah began building relationships with key stakeholders, including Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown. These early efforts attracted Canadian investors and institutional support from programs such as the World Trade Center’s Trade Accelerator Program (TAP) and the Brampton Entrepreneurs Program.

With over 16.5 million Canadians commuting daily and more than 39 million outbound trips recorded in 2024 alone, Treepz sees a unique opportunity to tap into North America’s vast corporate travel and mobility sector. The company aims to offer a comprehensive suite of travel coordination services, including flights, accommodation, local transportation, and curated experiences for business delegations traveling to South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, and Rwanda.

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“The launch of Treepz Canada is a strong statement of intent not just for our company, but for African startups as a whole. We are showing the world that it is possible to build globally respected brands right from the streets of Lagos,” said Onyeka Akumah, CEO of Treepz. “Today, we are serving clients on two continents. But this is still just the beginning. We’re inviting more organizations to choose Treepz as their trusted corporate travel partner.”

Mayor Patrick Brown, a longtime supporter of Treepz, expressed confidence in the company’s global prospects.

“Treepz has brilliant founders. Corporate mobility is now central to the global logistics conversation, and Treepz is at the heart of it. If you can handle traffic in Lagos, you can handle it anywhere in the world,” said Brown.

Treepz’s expansion comes amid a broader trend of African tech companies going global. Moove, another Nigerian-born mobility startup, has recently entered the U.S. and Indian markets. Meanwhile, global giants like Uber and Lyft are pushing ahead with autonomous vehicles and reimagining customer service in transport.