Zeno
Zeno is a US-headquartered electric mobility company building the Emara motorcycle line and a swappable battery-plus-charging network for motorcycle taxi and delivery riders in East Africa, with expansion into India underway.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersBozeman, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Zeno does
Zeno is a US-headquartered, Nairobi-operated electric mobility and distributed energy company building a full-stack platform for emerging-market two-wheeler transport. Its core product, the Emara electric motorcycle (with a premium Emara ADV variant), is a ground-up-designed sport-utility e-motorcycle tuned for the operating conditions of East African cities: 8-10 kW peak power, up to 100 km real-world range (200 km with on-board spare batteries on the ADV), 30° gradeability fully loaded at 250 kg, 90-100 km/h top speed, 190 mm ground clearance, dual disc brakes, and four ride modes including an industry-first tractor mode. The platform is anchored by a swappable lithium-ion battery and a proprietary multi-modal charging network (battery swap stations delivering full swaps in under two minutes, fast chargers, and compact home chargers), with 150+ locations currently operating across four cities in Kenya and Uganda.
Zeno firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Zeno
- Legal name
- Zeno Moto India Private Limited
- Website
- https://zeno.earth
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Zeno is a US-headquartered electric mobility company building the Emara motorcycle line and a swappable battery-plus-charging network for motorcycle taxi and delivery riders in East Africa, with expansion into India underway.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Zeno industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Electric Two-Wheelers
- NAICS
- Motorcycle, Bicycle, and Parts Manufacturing (336991), Battery Manufacturing (33591), Consumer Electronics and Appliances Rental (532210)
- SIC
- Motorcycles, Bicycles & Parts (3751), Electric Housewares & Fans (3634)
- akta.pro primary industry
- E-bikes & E-cargo Bikes Manufacturing (IMACAOAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Charging Network Operators & CPOs Offering Smart Charging/V2G (EUAFAMAD), E-Bike Rentals (THADAGAE)
Keywords
Where Zeno is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bozeman
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Zeno business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Emara / Emara ADV hardware sales (Fully Owned): Direct sale of the Zeno Emara electric motorcycle, with or without batteries. Per TechCrunch coverage of the company, the bike sells for about $1,300 without a battery and about $2,000 with a battery. Customers who buy outright plug in at home or at Zeno fast chargers.
- Battery subscription (Battery-as-a-Service): Customers who buy the bike without the battery subscribe monthly for battery use and charging access. Subscribers can swap, fast-charge, or home-charge through the multi-modal network. Recurring subscription revenue tied to the Zeno battery platform.
- Pay-as-you-go energy / usage-based charging: Customers can purchase the bike without batteries and pay only for the energy they use, with full flexibility to swap, fast-charge, or charge at home. Usage-based revenue stream layered on top of hardware sales.
- Vehicle accessories and custom wraps: Sale of accessories and custom vinyl wraps for the Emara (e.g., 5L front storage, 5L under-seat storage, 100L lockable rear storage, rear crash guard, side guards, knee guards with storage). One-time hardware attach revenue.
- Home / business battery dock (planned / pilot): Upcoming battery dock that allows homes and businesses to power lights and appliances from Zeno batteries; currently being prototyped with about a dozen customers. Expected to extend revenue into the productive-use / home energy segment.
- Fleet sales and fleet finance: Enterprise motion: dedicated fleet inquiry channel for commercial riders / fleet operators. Subscription bundles vehicle access, energy, maintenance, and financing into a single commercial offering. Fleet customers are explicitly referenced on the waitlist (25,000+ retail and fleet customers).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Fully Owned — purchase bike (with or without batteries) upfront for full ownership. |
| Subscription | Monthly | Subscription — buy bike without batteries, pay monthly subscription for battery use and charging. |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Pay-as-you-go — buy bike without batteries, pay only for the energy used. |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | India pre-order / booking (Refundable booking amount) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Vehicle accessories & custom wraps |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels7 records
Zeno product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Zeno designs, manufactures and sells the Emara and Emara ADV electric motorcycles, paired with a swappable lithium-ion battery architecture and a multi-modal charging network (swap stations, fast chargers and home chargers) operated as a battery-as-a-service and pay-as-you-go energy platform. Customers can buy the bike outright, subscribe monthly for battery use, or pay only for energy consumed, all managed through the Zeno mobile app and supported by an in-development home/business battery dock.
Product overview
Zeno is a full-stack electric mobility and energy platform anchored by two hardware products — the Zeno Emara base electric motorcycle and the premium Emara ADV adventure variant — that are powered by a swappable Zeno Battery. The platform is stitched together by the Zeno Multi-Modal Charging Network (comprising Swap Stations, Fast Chargers, and Home Chargers), the Zeno mobile app that customers use to control charging and subscriptions, and complementary energy products such as the in-development Zeno Battery Dock for home and business power backup. Together these offerings form a battery-as-a-service ecosystem targeting motorcycle taxi and delivery riders in East Africa.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Emara: Zeno's core sport-utility electric motorcycle product line (8kW peak power, ~100 km real-world range, 250 kg max load), offered with full ownership, subscription, or pay-as-you-go battery models.
- Emara ADV
Products and services
- Zeno Emara Base sport-utility electric motorcycle for East African commercial riders, with 8 kW peak power, up to 100 km real-world range, 30-degree gradeability with passengers, 250 kg max load, 90 km/h top speed, dual disc brakes, four ride modes (including a tractor mode), 6.3-inch display and Class D LED headlight; available via Fully Owned, Subscription and Pay-as-you-go commercial models at roughly $1,300 without battery and $2,000 with battery.
- Emara ADV Premium adventure variant of the Emara electric motorcycle with 10 kW peak power, 100 km/h top speed, 19-inch front wheels, upside-down rough-road fork suspension, on-board storage for two spare batteries (extending range from 100 km to 200 km), Bluetooth and on-board navigation, multiple USB ports, customizable side decals and upgraded headlights.
- Zeno Battery
Quantifiable outcome
- ~50% lower operating cost vs petrol-powered motorcycles for riders
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Zeno
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Zeno technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Zeno partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Zeno Moto Corporation, USA (Parent Company)core (parent / group)Zeno Moto Corporation, USA is the "Parent Company" of Zeno Moto India Private Limited per the company's privacy policy, and may receive User Personal Information for marketing, analytics, and service provisioning. Functions as the group-level parent in Zeno's corporate structure spanning the US, India, Kenya, and Uganda.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Zeno competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Spiro: Spiro is the leading African electric two-wheeler manufacturer and battery-swap network operator, deploying electric motorcycles and swap stations across Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, and other markets. It is the most direct competitor to Zeno in East African boda-boda electrification with a similar vehicle-plus-battery-swap business model.
- Roam (formerly Opibus): Roam is a Kenya-based electric mobility company designing and manufacturing electric motorcycles and buses for African markets. It targets the same boda-boda and commercial rider segment as Zeno and competes head-to-head for fleet customers and charging locations in Kenya.
- Gogoro: Gogoro is the global pioneer of swappable-battery electric scooters and the densest battery-swap network operator, headquartered in Taiwan. Its core architecture — a smart scooter, swappable batteries, and a GoStation swap network — is the blueprint Zeno's Emara platform explicitly mirrors for emerging markets.
Broad incumbents
- Ola Electric: Ola Electric is India's largest electric two-wheeler manufacturer, with its own battery and charging platform and millions of vehicles produced. It shares Zeno's full-stack EV approach (vehicle + battery + software) and is a potential competitor in Zeno's planned Indian market; Zeno's software lead Kanishk Nadkarni previously worked at Ola Electric.
- Ather Energy: Ather Energy is a leading Indian premium electric two-wheeler OEM with its own charging network and connected vehicle platform. Comparable to Zeno as a vertically integrated EV two-wheeler player with proprietary battery, charging, and software stacks; Kanishk Nadkarni also has prior Ather experience.
- Hero Electric: Hero Electric is one of India's largest electric two-wheeler manufacturers and an incumbent in the segment Hero MotoCorp's EV platform team (which Zeno engineering lead Aniket Katyarmal previously led) helped build. Competes with Zeno's planned Indian offering and is a credible mass-market entrant.
- Ampere (Greaves Cotton): Ampere is the EV arm of Greaves Cotton and one of India's longest-standing electric two-wheeler brands, selling affordable electric scooters across the country. It competes with Zeno's planned Indian offering in the entry-level, price-sensitive segment.
- Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India: Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India is the dominant ICE two-wheeler incumbent in India and is actively exploring electric two-wheelers. As the company whose petrol bikes Zeno's Emara is benchmarked against, Honda is the dominant competitive threat Zeno must displace to win share in both India and East Africa.
Emerging players
- Bounce Infinity: Bounce Infinity is an Indian electric two-wheeler company that pioneered a battery-swap model alongside scooter sales. While smaller than Ola or Ather, its swap-first commercial model overlaps directly with Zeno's Battery-as-a-Service approach for the Indian market Zeno is preparing to enter.
- Sun Mobility: Sun Mobility operates a battery-swapping network for electric two- and three-wheelers in India; Zeno's software lead Blinston Fernandes previously developed Sun Mobility's swap station. The companies share swap-station DNA even though Sun Mobility does not manufacture its own motorcycle, unlike Zeno.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Zeno social profiles
Digital presenceZeno financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Zeno leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Zeno funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors13 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Zeno M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Zeno
What does Zeno do?
Zeno designs, manufactures and sells the Emara and Emara ADV electric motorcycles, paired with a swappable lithium-ion battery architecture and a multi-modal charging network (swap stations, fast chargers and home chargers) operated as a battery-as-a-service and pay-as-you-go energy platform. Customers can buy the bike outright, subscribe monthly for battery use, or pay only for energy consumed, all managed through the Zeno mobile app and supported by an in-development home/business battery dock.
Is Zeno a public or private company?
Zeno is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Zeno founded?
Zeno was founded in 2024. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Zeno based?
Zeno is headquartered in Bozeman, United States, in the North America region.
How does Zeno make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Emara / Emara ADV hardware sales (Fully Owned) is the primary driver. The others are battery subscription (Battery-as-a-Service), pay-as-you-go energy / usage-based charging, vehicle accessories and custom wraps, home / business battery dock (planned / pilot) and fleet sales and fleet finance.
Who are Zeno's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Spiro, Roam (formerly Opibus) and Gogoro. Broad incumbents are Ola Electric, Ather Energy, Hero Electric, Ampere (Greaves Cotton) and Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India. Emerging players are Bounce Infinity and Sun Mobility.
Does Zeno have an API?
No public API is recorded for Zeno.
What industry is Zeno in?
Zeno's product category is Electric Two-Wheelers. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMACAOAA, E-bikes & E-cargo Bikes Manufacturing, with a secondary code of EUAFAMAD, Charging Network Operators & CPOs Offering Smart Charging/V2G. Its NAICS code is 336991 and its SIC code is 3751.