About N140 million was won by ten small firms at the 2025 Zenith Bank Tech Fair held in Lagos. The event, themed Future Forward 5.0: Tech for Success – Innovate, Adapt, Accelerate, attracted several stakeholders from across the tech industry. Organisers said the competition created a space for fresh ideas, collaboration, and solutions that could shape the future of African technology.
Ten African innovators received funding support to scale their transformative solutions after a highly competitive hackathon and pitch session. They also qualified for a six-week mentorship and incubation programme scheduled to run from December 2025 to February 2026, aimed at helping them grow and scale their products more effectively.
The Startup Pitch Competition focused on early-stage ventures and recorded participation from thousands of developers, founders, and entrepreneurs across the continent. Two major winners emerged, each taking home N30 million. The hackathon winner, Trust Loop, impressed the judges with its solution that offers seamless digital KYC and liveness verification. At the same time, Cubbes Technologies Limited secured the top position in the Startup Pitch Competition with its AI-powered EdTech platform designed to enhance learning and career readiness.
The remaining eight finalists across both categories were also recognised. Each received N10 million in non-dilutive funding. The finalists include Venille Ltd, Sowota, FLOW, InvoPay, Zenith Intelliscore, The Very Hacked Men, Konfam and Zerax.
Speaking at the event, the chief executive of Zenith Bank, Ms Adaora Umeoji, said, “We are confident that this Tech Fair will produce innovators who will change the world, and we stand ready to support you to turn your ideas into reality.” The chairman of the bank, Mr Jim Ovia, added, “My vision is to continue to empower the youth through technology, with the hope that one day we will produce the likes of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos.”
In his goodwill message, the Governor of Lagos, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, stated, “We want to make Lagos the human capital centre of the world, where Microsoft and Google will think of raising a million tech experts.”
