Januarius Batukunda
CEO & Co-Founder
The founder who initiated the original Autoplug idea and brought the team together around the vision of creating a better way to access vehicles.
About Autoplug
Making vehicles more accessible.Making economies more mobile.
Autoplug was born from a simple observation. Across Africa, thousands of vehicles sit idle while businesses, individuals and entire industries struggle to access the vehicles they need to get things done.
- The year it started
- Founders, four disciplines
- Platforms: web, Android, iOS
- Vehicle categories and growing
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How it started
A conversation that became a shared vision
In mid-2023, our CEO and co-founder Januarius Batukunda approached Nathan Kwezi with an idea for a platform that could make vehicle access easier, more transparent and more efficient. What began as a conversation between two people quickly grew into a shared vision of a platform where almost any type of vehicle could be discovered, accessed and put to productive use.
Nathan, our COO and co-founder, brought his passion for automobiles and a background spanning technology, design and business development, and was tasked with turning the concept into a workable business model and the first user experience. Together they spent 2023 speaking with potential users, studying the local vehicle market and testing the assumptions behind the idea.
The objective was not simply to build another rental platform, but to understand what vehicle owners and users actually needed, and design Autoplug around those realities.
As the vision took shape, the founding team grew. Sserube Martin joined as CTO and chief architect of the application, and Ezra Barenzi as legal counsel, establishing the legal foundations of a marketplace where owners and users can transact with confidence.
Our journey
From an idea to a platform
Built deliberately, in stages.
2023
The idea
We began developing the concept, conducting market research, refining the business model, and understanding the needs of vehicle owners and renters.
2024
Incorporated
As development continued, Autoplug was formally incorporated, giving the growing team a legal and organizational foundation from which to build.
2025
Web marketplace
We completed the first major phase of the platform with the launch of the Autoplug web application, a dedicated marketplace for listing, discovering, and accessing vehicles.
2026
On every phone
We expanded Autoplug beyond the web with our Android application, followed by iOS, bringing the platform closer to where our users are every day.
Our mission
More than car rental
Autoplug began with making cars easier to rent, but the vision was always bigger. We believe vehicles are productive assets that keep economies moving, and if a vehicle can perform useful work, people should be able to find and access it when they need it.
Sedans
Take someone to a business meeting.
SUVs
Transport a family across the country.
Trucks
Move construction equipment.
Tractors
Support agricultural production.
Excavators
Build roads and foundations.
Tow trucks
Keep another vehicle moving.
Buses
Move workers and passengers.
Service vehicles
Support an entire operation.
From farming and construction to transportation, logistics, events, tourism, business and emergency services, we want Autoplug to make the vehicles required to get work done more visible and accessible.
The connection
Turning idle vehicles into productive assets
For vehicle owners, Autoplug is a way to generate value from vehicles that might otherwise spend much of their time sitting idle. For renters and businesses, it's a way to find a vehicle for a specific need without having to buy and maintain it.
Vehicle owners have assets
Businesses & individuals have needs
Autoplug connects the two
Our long-term ambition is a marketplace deep enough that no one has to ask, “Where can I find a vehicle that can do this?” They should be able to open Autoplug and find it.
Our vision
We envision Autoplug becoming a key piece of mobility and economic infrastructure across Africa, a platform that helps vehicles move from idle assets to productive tools.
Our goal is to become a lubricant to economies by reducing the friction between people who need vehicles and the vehicles capable of meeting those needs. We are starting in Uganda, but our ambition extends far beyond one market.
A future where the right vehicle is easy to access, whether it is a car for a weekend trip, a truck for your business, an excavator for a construction project, a tractor for farming, or a specialised vehicle for a job that cannot wait.
The founders
Different disciplines. One platform.
Autoplug is built by four founders with different strengths but a shared belief in the problem we are solving.
Nathan Kwezi
COO & Co-Founder
A passionate car enthusiast who turned the original concept into a workable business model, shaped the first user experience, and defines Autoplug's commercial and operational direction.
Sserube Martin
CTO & Co-Founder
A technology entrepreneur and software developer who leads Autoplug's technology and product direction, and builds the platform that powers it.
Ezra Barenzi
Legal Counsel & Co-Founder
Our company lawyer and legal counsel, responsible for establishing the legal framework that supports Autoplug's operations and marketplace.
Four founders. Different disciplines. One platform.
And we are only getting started. Explore what's already on the road, or list your own vehicle and put it to work.