High-potential startups groomed by Edo State skills development agency, EdoJobs, at the Edo Innovation Hub, in Benin City, are on a tour of the investment community and innovation hubs in across Nigeria, including Lagos, looking to expand their frontier and attract more funds to boost their businesses.
The startups are a mix of businesses engaged in renewable energy solutions, agrictech, fashion and e-commerce, and pitched to seed investors and others in the early-stage startup investment space, including Co-Founder, Bluechip Technologies, Olumide Soyombo and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Plus TV Africa, Kayode Akintemi, and many others. Some of the investors played a part in the growth of notable startups such as Paystack, Piggybank, among others.
The startups also got an opportunity to pitch their ideas at the Elevate Conference, attended by representatives of MTN Plc and other blue-chip companies.
Senior Special Assistant to Edo State Governor on Skills Development and Job Creation, Mrs. Ukinebo Dare said the trip was to acquaint the startups with Nigeria’s bubbling startup space, get them to attract investment into the state and build their clientele base.
According to her, “There is no denying that we have a thriving tech ecosystem in Edo State anchored at the Edo Innovation Hub. We are doing a lot to get the youths at the center to understand that they are getting the best of training and support. Their trip was to expose them to the larger tech space in Nigeria and also showcase their amazing ideas to the investor network.”
Those on the tour include co-founder, X-crete Initiative, Eghareva Uyiosa; Founder, Procode Kids, Lolita Oyibo; Founder, Agriployee, Godsent Izinyon and co-initiator, First Valley Gate Energy, Osarumen Racheal Omoregbe, among others.
They expressed appreciation to the state government for the experience, which has exposed them to the opportunities in Nigeria’s growing tech scene, noting that they were excited on the prospects of getting some funding from the investors who were impressed with their pitches.
