Beyond the Pitch: How Startup Competitions Shaped Christiana Celestine’s Journey from GoMarket to Building Event ASAP

By Odion Peters

Startup competitions are often seen as stages where young entrepreneurs pitch ideas, win prizes, and move on. But for Nigerian entrepreneur Christiana Celestine, they became something much more — platforms that shaped her vision, validated her ideas, and pushed her toward building innovative digital marketplaces.

Christiana first came into the public eye as a contestant in The Next Titan Nigeria, Season Three, a nationally televised entrepreneurial reality show that has launched many young founders into the spotlight. Out of thousands of applicants, she advanced to the Top 50 boot camp, where she pitched her idea for a digital marketplace designed to make Nigerian products more accessible globally.

Standing before a panel of high-profile judges — including Kyari Bukar, Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group; Tonye Cole, Co-founder of Sahara Group; Chris Parkes, Founder of CPMS Africa; and Lilian Olubi, CEO of Primera Africa Securities — was no easy task. But for Christiana, the experience was transformative.

“The Next Titan taught me how to refine my ideas and defend them under pressure,” she recalls. “It wasn’t just about competing for a prize. It was about proving to myself and others that my vision was valid.”

She later entered the Lekki Gardens Mavericks Challenge, a 22-week internship and competition programme that tested the grit and ingenuity of young entrepreneurs. Competing against hundreds of candidates, Christiana’s performance placed her among the Top finalists. “The Mavericks was different — it combined mentorship with real-world business challenges,” she explained. “It pushed me to think commercially, not just creatively.”

Out of these experiences came her first platform, GoMarket. Inspired by the credibility issues surrounding Nigerian online shopping, GoMarket was designed to sell Nigerian products to the global market without the fear of fraud. The model was simple but powerful: products were verified by the company before shipment; buyers’ payments were held securely until delivery was confirmed; and vendors provided videos and detailed descriptions of products for transparency.

By acting as a trusted third-party, GoMarket not only protected buyers but also gave Nigerian sellers the credibility they needed to access international customers. “The goal was always bigger than just sales,” Christiana explained. “It was about showing the world that Nigerian businesses could be trusted — and in doing so, contributing to Nigeria’s GDP growth.”

While GoMarket addressed credibility in commerce, Christiana soon saw another gap emerging — the lack of trusted platforms for event services. From weddings to birthdays and cultural celebrations, Nigerians often struggled to find reliable vendors. Her answer was EventASAP, a digital marketplace then in development, designed to connect clients to trusted service providers such as photographers, caterers, DJs, and decorators.

“Events are part of our culture, but the stress of planning often overshadows the joy,” Christiana said. “EventASAP will make it easier to find and book vendors seamlessly, building reliability into the process.”

Looking back, she sees startup competitions as stepping stones rather than endpoints. “Winning is not always about the trophy. The recognition, the networks, the feedback — these are just as valuable,” she reflected. “The Next Titan and Lekki Gardens gave me the confidence and visibility to launch platforms that solve real problems.”

Her journey from GoMarket to EventASAP reflects a consistent theme: building marketplaces that prioritise trust and community. “Every idea I pursue starts with empathy,” she said. “Whether it’s giving global buyers confidence in Nigerian products or helping families plan celebrations stress-free, I believe technology should solve problems people truly care about.”

As she continues her entrepreneurial journey, Christiana remains focused on scaling her platforms and mentoring other young innovators. “Nigeria is full of talent and ideas. What we need are more platforms that give young entrepreneurs visibility and credibility,” she said. “Competitions gave me my start, but building solutions for communities is what keeps me going.”

From pitch stages to digital marketplaces, Christiana Celestine represents a new wave of Nigerian founders — proving that innovation, when rooted in trust and empathy, can grow far beyond the competition stage.

Peters is a tech strategist. He writes from Lagos