A total of N53 million in prize money was awarded after a fiercely contested hackathon session at the Second Edition of the Zenith Tech Fair, themed “Future Forward 2.0,” held on Wednesday, November 23, 2022, at the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The prize money was divided among eleven finalists chosen from over 500 participants in the hackathon, with Ecotutu. This cleantech company makes cooling affordable and accessible for businesses, particularly in the agricultural sector, emerging as the overall winner and taking home the grand prize of N20 million. In addition, a mentorship program with Seedstars, a company dedicated to implementing high-quality capacity-building programs for entrepreneurs in emerging markets, will be implemented.
Foris Labs, an app-based platform that allows students to conduct science experiments individually and in groups interactively via their mobile phones, won N15 million and a mentorship program with Seedstars, while Finva, a start-up that assists creditors in offering low-risk credit, won N10 million and a mentorship program with Seedstars. Sanwo, Itinu -Ev, Eduvacity, Green Bii, Zion Robotics, Sono Care, Base, and I Grow Africa are among the other finalists who received N1 million each.
Speaking during the presentation of the prize monies, the Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, congratulated all the finalists for coming this far in the competition. He reiterated the bank’s readiness to provide all that is necessary to make the budding entrepreneurs succeed. According to him, “all finalists would be enlisted into our incubation lab for grooming and mentorship. Our expectation is that we are going to scale and grow them just like the zenith brand. So, looking at what we have gone through, I can tell you that so much iron has been loaded on fire. The only thing left is to activate the digital talents, tech skills and entrepreneurship that would culminate in a new digital economy for Nigeria”.
Participants described the two-day Tech Fair as a huge success, with presentations on the leading technological innovations that cut across various aspects of life, such as Artificial Intelligence, Computing, Machine Learning, Blockchain, Robotics, Big Data, FinTech, Augmented Reality, Data Analytics, 5G and Communication Technologies, with the keynote address, “The Future of Banking: Digital Transformation Journey,” delivered by Brett King, the renowned futurist.
Jim Ovia, CFR, Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank, delivered a goodwill message, and Ebenezer Onyeagwu, Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank Plc and Chairman of the Body of Banks’ CEOs, Nigeria, delivered the opening remarks. Tarik Alatovic, Senior Partner, McKinsey; Juliet Ehimuan, West Africa Director, Google; Ola Williams, Country Manager, Microsoft Inc.; Andrew Uaboi, Vice President/Head, Visa West Africa; Mrs.Rakiya Mohammed, Director of Information Technology, CBN; Chris Lu, Managing Director, Huawei Technologies Nigeria; and Dame (Dr.) AdaoraUmeoji, OON, Deputy Managing Director, Zenith Bank Plc
Three panel discussions were held during the fair. Prof. Yinka David West of Lagos Business School moderated the first panel, “The Future of Payments: What Next and How Can We Get There,” which featured four panelists: AgadaApochi, Managing Director, UPSL; OluAkanmu, Managing Director, Opay; Premier Oiwoh, Managing Director, NIBBS; and Kari Tukur, V/P & Head of Products East/West Africa, MasterCard.
The second panel discussed the theme “What are the primary challenges of financial industry digital transformation? How do we deal with them? “. Brett King moderated the discussion, which featured four panelists: TosinEniolorunda, Managing Director, TeamApt; Obi Emetarom, Managing Director, Appzone; Dr. BabatundeObrimah, COO, FintechNGR; and OlugbengaAgboola, Founder/CEO, Flutterwave.
The third panel discussion, titled “Driving the Global Trade Revolution with Technology: Current Transformation Trends,” was moderated by Samuel Eze, Founder/CEO of Ourpass, and featured five panelists: Mike Ogbalu III, Managing Director, PAPSS; Akeem Lawal, Divisional CEO, Interswitch; Massimiliano Spalazzi, Country Manager, Jumia; and Dr. OzoemenaNnaji, Director of Trade
