Startup Story
Marta Uetela is the founder of Baaike in Mozambique, a studio dedicated to designing and constructing bicycles from plastic waste collected from the ocean, Marta is on a mission to offer alternatives to conventional transportation while raising awareness about the environmental impact of plastic pollution in our oceans. She is a product design engineer and a solutions-oriented entrepreneur with a deep passion for product design and alternative manufacturing systems. She believes in the potential of Generation Z and the transformative power of design and engineering to rethink and reshape a more sustainable world.
LoA spoke to the visionary Marta Uetela to learn more about her business, her approach to innovation, and her vision for creating access to mobility through eco-conscious transportation.
What does your company do?
We transform ghost fishnets and other plastic residuals recovered from the sea into bicycles to create more and better access to mobility.
“The lack of efficient mobility options severely hinders economic growth and access to essential services, leading me to rethink the significance of bicycles.”
What inspired you to start your company?
I've been an amateur cyclist my whole life, but after a trip to Pemba in northern Mozambique, I witnessed firsthand how insufficient, inconsistent, and costly public transport is—when it's available. The lack of efficient mobility options severely hinders economic growth and access to essential services, leading me to rethink the significance of bicycles. On the other hand, the vast number of fishnets and other plastic waste washing up on Wimbe Beach caught my attention. In just one hour, we collected over a ton of this waste during a cleanup campaign.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
One of the key features that sets Baaikes apart is that they are made from plastic recovered from the ocean. We live in a time where material choices matter more than ever, and by creating a cycle of reuse with a lower impact compared to conventional bicycles, we are making a difference.
Tell us a little about your team:
We are a team of passionate nerds— from young engineers and designers to material transformation specialists.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I always had a passion for understanding how things work, and I remember spending a significant portion my childhood disassembling things. This hands-on experience instilled confidence and practical skills that have shaped my journey. In my 3rd year of university I was able to design and built a multi awarded studio that creates prosthetic and wheelchairs using plastic recovered from the sea and conduct micro-research on the use of fishnets as an alternative material to improve mobility.
“We transform ghost fishnets and other plastic residuals recovered from the sea into bicycles to create more and better access to mobility.”
“I firmly believe that innovation, design, and engineering can serve as powerful tools to [re]design processes and systems that foster alternative production methods, prioritizing our well-being in harmony with the environment.”
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
I firmly believe that innovation, design, and engineering can serve as powerful tools to [re]design processes and systems that foster alternative production methods, prioritizing our well-being in harmony with the environment. This is the path we will navigate—creating green transportation alternatives that enhance access while simultaneously addressing plastic pollution and raising awareness about its impact.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Being able to improve people's lives (solve their problems) and make money out of it.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Sometimes we overthink and see all the barriers instead of opportunities, my advice is to get your product/idea out as soon as possible, get feedback, iterate during the way, fail fast and be obsessed with your customer until you get it right.
Find out more:
Email: marvatela@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/baai.ke
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baai.ke
Why LoA loves it…
At Lionesses of Africa we love to see women entrepreneurs innovating to find solutions to key challenges. Marta Uetela is one of life’s real innovators, driven to find innovative solutions to real environmental and community problems facing her country. Her Baaike solution to creating access to much-needed affordable transportation to improve economic mobility is a real game changer on so many levels. Marta is using her considerable design and innovation skills to make a difference to the environment by tackling marine waste, and tackling affordable mobility challenges at the same time. Inspirational! — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa