Mozambikes – The challenges of growth

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Mozambikes is a Mozambican social enterprise founded in 2009, whose mission is to “transform the lives of rural Mozambicans by providing higher quality bicycles at low market prices throughout the country.”1 The idea of Mozambikes resulted from a roadtrip, in which Lauren and Rui came across many rural Mozambicans walking and carrying heavy burdens on foot. They realized that bicycles would provide a quicker and safer way to reach the cities and improve their standard of living. The co-founders have therefore designed an innovative business model that allows them to accomplish their mission. In December 2011 the first order was dispatched and since then the social enterprise has gained recognition and has created three new business models, different from the initial one, in order to achieve a wider range of customers. At the end of 2012, 1,000 bicycles had been sold. During the next 6 years the co-founders want to expand in order to better achieve Mozambikes’ mission, producing 25,000 bicycles per year. To do this, they need to develop a strategic plan towards a scaling up process.