Eleven Nigerian startups have won a combined 300 million naira (₦300 million) in funding from Wema Bank at the grand finale of its Hackaholics 7.0 innovation competition in Lagos.
The finale, held Nov. 6 under the theme “Festival of the Future,” rewarded companies working in agriculture, healthcare, artificial intelligence, education and other sectors. Their products range from AI-powered medical diagnostics and smart glasses for visually impaired people to building materials made from plastic waste.
The top prize of ₦60 million went to Tony Niteon Nwose, founder of Niteon, an agricultural technology platform that links African farmers with processors, financial services and international markets.
Two startups took ₦40 million each. Acceede, founded by Emmanuel Adeboje, builds an education-focused solution. Craft Planet, led by Kabir Olaosebikan, converts plastic waste into sustainable building materials.
Neural Forge, founded by Kelvin Nnadi, and SocialSign, founded by Samuel Ayomide Shonubi, received ₦30 million each. Neural Forge develops an AI-powered medical diagnostic tool, and SocialSign develops sign language technology to improve communication and digital accessibility.
Five startups won ₦20 million each:
David Lawani’s All-Arbitrates, a digital platform for arbitration and dispute resolution.
Oluwaseyi Whyte Akinlolu’s Harthio, a mental wellness solution.
David Campbell’s Nexa AI, which helps businesses analyse customer interactions and identify growth opportunities.
Zainab Boluwatife Adeagbo’s MamaAlert, a digital service aimed at improving women’s access to timely healthcare.
Uti Henry’s Vhorde and Precious Zino’s URI took ₦10 million each. Vhorde makes IRIS, AI-powered smart glasses designed to help visually impaired people navigate more independently. URI is an AI-powered marketing platform that helps businesses improve customer engagement and online visibility.
The winners were drawn from 5,329 participants who submitted 1,632 ideas and solutions across seven pitch centres in Nigeria. Fifty-nine participants advanced from the regional rounds, and 21 finalists competed in the grand finale.
Wema Bank launched Hackaholics in 2019. The bank says the programme has recorded more than 21,000 applicants and engaged over 50,000 participants. It says it has supported more than 10,000 startups across three countries and contributed to the development of over 100 solutions.
Several of this year’s winning solutions use artificial intelligence, reflecting its growing role in practical products from healthcare to marketing.
