User:S.Shrimali/sandbox

Mozambikes
'Mozambikes Limitada (Mozambikes)is a Mozambican business created to address the transportation needs in the developing world by offering bicycles at prices affordable for low income Mozambicans. The business is a for-profit social venture, seeking profits to scale the social mission, which is to alleviate poverty through efficient transportation. Mozambikes believes that as clients can achieve financial benefits from advertising and employee transportation through a tool that is generally accepted as a contributor of social development, it contributes to both the economic and social returns of an organization. Moreover, the bicycles is a form of clean transportation, reducing carbon emmissions as people trade off from motorized transport, therefore leading to a proper triple bottom line return.

Business Model
Mozambikes is distinct from many bicycle projects in its sustainable business model. It transforms bicycles into mobile advertisements through customization. Mozambikes are branded with the colors and logos of local businesses. Corporations and organizations seeking to strengthen their brands and messages in rural markets purchase the branded bicycles for their communities, employees or other stakeholders, or allow Mozambikes to sell the branded bicycles into the market at low prices.

Businesses can purchase the branding on the bicycles, allowing the bicycles to be sold at reduced rates into rural markets through traditional retail channels to reach individual Mozambicans. Mozambikes offers long-term, moving advertisements that can cycle through communities for years. These ads are effective in communities where radios, televisions and newspapers have low penetration, and in urban markets where ads get higher views.

Mozambikes also sells its bicycles to businesses that have a need for an internal fleet of bicycles, either for employees, communities, field agents or other stakeholders. These customers brand the bicycles with their colors and messages, and then can distrinbute the bicycles according to their needs.

Structure
Mozambikes, Limitada is a business registered in the Ministry of Justice in Maputo, Mozambique on March 15, 2010. The Mozambikes group overall is a hybrid organization. Mozambikes recognizes that some people in rural Mozambique cannot afford bicycles even at attractive rates. To increase the presence of bicycles in these areas, Mozambikes launched a sister organization, Mozambikes Social Development, Inc. This organization is a registered 501c non profit that collects donations from philanthropists world-wide to purchase bicycles at cost from Mozambikes Limitada, which then gives away the bicycles to Mozambicans living on under $2 per day. Mozambikes Limitada sponsors all overhead for the non-profit, so every donated dollar goes towards a bicycle for someone in need.

Awards and Recognitions
"2012 William James Foundation Sustainable Business Plan Competition Prize Winning Teams"

"Mozambikes: On the Road in Mozambique"

"Africa's emerging business leaders revealed"

"Former TechnoServe Volunteer Launches Bicycle Business in Mozambique"

"Mozambikes Pedals to Promote Development Via Low-Cost Bicycles"

"Winner of First Ever Kabissa Photo Competition"

"Finalist 2011 for Sub-Saharan Africa: Lauren Thomas"