Five female entrepreneurs have emerged winners at the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub pitch competition, aimed at supporting gender inclusive economic growth.
The five entrepreneurs who emerged winners during the pitch competition are:
- Damilola Emuze, founder of Scholarx
- Damilola Olokesusi, of Shuttlers mobility
- Dr. Funmi Adewara, of Mobihealth
- Ifeoma Uddoh, of Shecluded
- Keturah Ovio, of Limestart
The ten business pitched were:
- AGORITE, the premier digital agricultural platform working to tackle food insecurity by creating share value for smallholder farmers and investors/businesses.
- EASYSHOP EASYCOOK, the online fresh grocery delivery company that uses technology to provide domestic support services to the working professionals since 2005.
- LIMESTART, which includes unbanked small businesses in Africa’s sector by digitizing their sales records and helping them with digital payments.
- MOBIHEALTH, Africa’s Uber of medicine which is changing the way people in Africa access quality healthcare using tech.
- MUMSPRING, the HealthTech startup that is leveraging technology to transform maternal and neonatal health in Africa, starting with Nigeria.
- 9IJAKIDS, the EdTech company has developed a mobile app to help children improve academic performance.
- ROVINGHEIGHTS, a social-minded book sales and distribution company with the focus of making books the new cool.
- SCHOLARX, an EdFinTech company which operates at the intersection of education and finance by creating equitable access to quality education.
- SHECLUDED, the credit inclusion company that provides women with access to credit, financial advisory, mentoring and community.
- SHUTTLERS MOBILITY, which enables professionals and organisations to share rides in corporate buses to and from work.
Honey Ogundeyi, the Country Director of the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub, said that the programme was aimed at bringing 15 of the continent’s most ambitious development-focused women entrepreneurs to the United Kingdom in January [2020].
Honey Ogundeyi made this known during the Africa-UK Female Tech Founders 2020 programme held at the British Deputy High Commissioner’s Residence at Ikoyi, Lagos.
Honey Ogundeyi said that the entrepreneurs would gain access to world-class mentoring time with UK investors and expert training to help scale their companies.
Harriet Thompson, the British Deputy High Commissioner, Nigeria, said that the winners would be in London during the summit, adding Her Majesty’s Government (HMG) would cover all costs and programmes to help support them grow their businesses.
According to Harriet Thompson:
“We are pleased to be hosting an event that brings support for women, whose empowerment is vital for Nigeria’s future prosperity and stability.
Nigeria’s tech sector accounted for over 11 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP in 2018 (compared with 9 per cent from oil and gas) and is the fastest growing part of Nigeria’s economy.
We now have our very own Tech Hub here in Nigeria and the Director is Honey Ogundeyi. The hub is funded by our Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
The UK-Nigeria tech hub focuses on three key areas: skills and capability development, digital ecosystem building and facilitating innovation collaborations between Nigerian and UK tech businesses.
This will help to build skilled, entrepreneurial and networked populations which will create jobs and address digital inequality.”
She further stated that the tech hub had supported companies such as Riby, Innovation Corner, Social Lender and Farmcrowdy to grow their businesses, build links with the UK’s thriving tech sector and will also provide support to scale innovations and drive growth in tech investment in Nigeria.
