Verto Announces Winners of Global Business Awards at Lagos Ceremony

 Leading B2B global payments platform  Verto, has announced the winners of its inaugural Verto Global Business Award, a transformative initiative created to spotlight and elevate early-stage African startups that are redefining industries, building inclusive economic opportunities, and strengthening the continent’s role in global trade.

Launched in February 2025, the award reflects Verto’s commitment to fostering a new generation of promising sector-agnostic startups with global ambition, supporting them not only with capital, but with visibility, international supplier connections, and the financial infrastructure needed to scale beyond their local markets.

Following months of evaluation and an extensive shortlisting process, the winners were announced at a vibrant awards ceremony held in Lagos recently, and attended by industry leaders, ecosystem partners, media representatives, and members of the Nigerian startup community.

Presented with USD 10,000, USD 3,000, and USD 2,000 respectively to accelerate their global expansion and streamline their cross-border operations, the winners are: First place: Dingpay, a fintech company, Second place: AquaTrack, an agrotech company

Third place: Grower, an online marketplace for tech talents

Commenting on the win, Itohowo Udofia, Co-founder of Dingpay, which secured the USD 10,000 grand prize, said, “We are honoured to be recognised as the winner of the Verto Global Business Award. This prize will enable us to scale faster, strengthen our operations, and unlock new market opportunities. It’s an incredible validation of our work, and we’re excited for what comes next.”

The finalists were carefully evaluated on innovation, feasibility, scalability, and market impact by a distinguished judging panel comprising Dotun Adekunle, COO/CTO of OPay; Ime Enang, CEO of The Conversationalist Limited; Omotayo Idowu, Group Head, Commerce ; Soibi Ovia, Partner at DAO Law; and Austin Okpagu, Country Manager, Verto Nigeria. 

Speaking at the ceremony, Ola Oyetayo, Co-founder and CEO of Verto, said, “This inaugural edition of the Verto Global Business Award has revealed just how much innovation, resilience, and global ambition exists within Africa’s early-stage startup ecosystem. The calibre of founders we’ve seen this year has been exceptional. As these businesses grow, expand, and strengthen international ties, we remain committed to providing the financial infrastructure that helps turn their global ambitions into reality.”

Through the Verto Global Business Award, the company continues to champion Africa’s emerging startups, supporting their growth, innovation, and international expansion.