11 Nigerian startups developing solutions across agriculture, healthcare, education, artificial intelligence and other sectors have received a combined ₦300 million in funding from Wema Bank at the seventh edition of its Hackaholics innovation competition.
The winners were announced at the competition’s grand finale, themed Festival of the Future, held in Lagos on November 6, 2026. Niteon, an agricultural technology startup founded by Tony Niteon Nwose, emerged as the overall winner, receiving the top prize of ₦60 million.
Niteon operates a platform that connects African farmers with agricultural processors, financial service providers and international markets, addressing challenges around access to financing, buyers and commercial opportunities across the agricultural value chain.
Emmanuel Adeboje’s Acceede received ₦40 million for its education-focused solution, while Kabir Olaosebikan’s Craft Planet secured the same amount for developing sustainable building materials from plastic waste.
Two other startups received ₦30 million each. They were Samuel Ayomide Shonubi’s SocialSign, which develops technology to improve communication and digital accessibility through sign language, and Kelvin Nnadi’s Neural Forge, an artificial intelligence-powered medical diagnostic solution.
Among the startups awarded ₦20 million each were Harthio, founded by Oluwaseyi Whyte Akinlolu, for its mental wellness solution; All-Arbitrates, founded by David Lawani, for its digital arbitration and dispute resolution platform; and Nexa AI, founded by David Campbell, which develops technology to help businesses analyse customer interactions and identify growth opportunities.
Other beneficiaries included MamaAlert, founded by Zainab Boluwatife Adeagbo, which received ₦20 million for its digital healthcare solution aimed at improving women’s access to timely medical services.
Vhorde, founded by Uti Henry, secured ₦10 million for IRIS, artificial intelligence-powered smart glasses designed to help visually impaired people navigate their surroundings, while Precious Zino’s URI received the same amount for an AI-powered marketing platform that helps businesses improve customer engagement and online visibility.
The 11 winners emerged from a nationwide competition that attracted 5,329 participants and generated 1,632 ideas and proposed solutions across seven pitch centres. Following the selection process, 59 participants advanced from the various centres, while 21 finalists competed at the grand finale.
Launched in 2019, Hackaholics is part of Wema Bank’s efforts to support technology-driven entrepreneurship and early-stage businesses.
Since its introduction, the programme has recorded more than 21,000 applicants, engaged over 50,000 participants and supported more than 10,000 startups across three countries, contributing to the development of over 100 solutions.
The solutions recognised in this year’s competition span agricultural market access, medical diagnostics, assistive technology, waste management, education, mental wellness and business intelligence, reflecting the growing use of technology to address challenges across different sectors of the economy.
The ₦300 million funding is expected to support the selected startups in developing their products and expanding their operations, although their ability to attract customers, establish sustainable business models and scale their solutions will determine their longer-term prospects.
