Zecathon 5.0: Zenith Bank Launches ₦140m Call to Startup Founders, Innovators Across Africa
Zenith Bank Plc has unveiled Zecathon 5.0, the fifth edition of its flagship startup competition and innovation programme.
It features a massive ₦140 million prize pool and a high-impact Hackathon designed to accelerate digital solutions across fintech and emerging tech sectors.
It stated that developers, founders, and innovators across Africa can apply for free at https://beyondlimits.global/zecathon5/ before the October 31, 2025, deadline.
The Zenith Zecathon has continued to spotlight innovation across key sectors, including FMCG, insurance, education, retail and e-commerce, payments, lending, cybersecurity, agriculture, health, and logistics.
The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive, Zenith Bank Plc,
Dame Adaora Umeoji, said:
“Zecathon 5.0 represents the next leap in Zenith Bank’s journey of empowering innovators and driving Africa’s digital transformation.
“By introducing a full-scale hackathon alongside our startup pitch and incubation program, we’re creating an ecosystem where developers, dreamers, and founders can collaborate, compete, and ultimately build real solutions that shape the future of banking and business across the continent.”
She added that Hackathon would challenge innovators to design cutting-edge fintech and digital products, while the Startup Pitch Competition will showcase scalable ventures addressing real-world problems.
“Winners from both categories will each receive ₦30 million, with four additional finalists per category receiving ₦10 million each. All finalists will also participate in an intensive six-week incubation programm to refine and scale their ideas,” Umeoji stated.
Last year’s edition, Zecathon 4.0, attracted almost 2,000 applicants and awarded ₦77.5 million in prizes to standout startups, including JumpnPass, CreditChek, and Salad Africa – all of which have since expanded their operations and market impact. Startups and innovators across Africa are invited to apply for free at https://beyondlimits.global/zecathon5/, the bank added.
