She launched her company after encountering a specific problem related to her daughter's school transportation. Her professional background, marked by roles in the sales, logistics, and digital sectors, prepared her to design an appropriate solution.

Lucy Kimani (photo) is a Kenyan tech entrepreneur and co-founder of NoMa, a startup launched in 2023 that aims to transform school transportation in Kenya through an innovative digital solution.

NoMa offers a SaaS platform that enables schools and parents to track school bus routes in real time, thereby ensuring greater safety and efficiency in students’ daily commutes.

The idea was born from a personal experience. While her daughter was attending preschool, Lucy Kimani often found herself without information about the school bus's arrival. “Oftentimes she did not know where the bus was and if it was late, she had to wait helplessly without being sure if her child was safe or if the bus had encountered a problem on the route. How could she get more visibility of her child’s journey home? Thus the idea for NoMa was born. Out of a need to provide peace of mind to other parents like her,” explains the startup.

NoMa’s platform is based on advanced algorithms that optimize routes, reduce waiting times, and efficiently coordinate school transportation. By leveraging real-time data, the solution promises a more reliable, smooth, and secure experience for both students and parents.

Lucy Kimani graduated from Kenya Methodist University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in human resource management, sales, and marketing in 2012. She also holds a master’s degree in strategic management, obtained in 2018 from the United States International University in Africa (Nairobi, Kenya).

Her professional career began in 2003 at Kapa Oil Refineries, a manufacturer of fats and cooking oils, where she held a position in sales and marketing. Two years later, she joined Mooreland Consolidated Hotel as operations manager, before becoming a legal secretary in 2007 at the law firm Karingu & Company Advocates.

Between 2012 and 2019, she worked for Copia Kenya, an e-commerce startup, where she successively held roles as sales manager, head of recruitment, training and development, then head of business development. Between 2021 and 2022, she served as vice president of growth at Amitruck, a tech logistics startup.

By Melchior Koba,

Editing by Sèna D. B. de Sodji