Eleven innovator startups have received N300 million reward at the seventh edition of Wema Bank’s Hackaholics programme. Hackaholics is designed to fund technology-driven solutions and support entrepreneurship in Nigeria.
The awards were presented at the grand finale of Hackaholics 7.0, themed Festival of the Future, held in Lagos on November 6, 2026. The competition attracted 5,329 participants, generating 1,632 ideas across seven centres nationwide, with 21 finalists competing in four categories: Startup/Ideathon, Social Impact, Women-Led and Hackathon.
Tony Niteon Nwose, founder of Niteon, emerged overall winner, receiving the N60 million grand prize for an agricultural technology platform connecting farmers to processors, financial services and markets.
Other major beneficiaries included Emmanuel Adeboje of Acceede, who received N40 million for an education-focused solution, and Kabir Olaosebikan of Craft Planet, awarded N40 million for converting plastic waste into sustainable building materials.
In the women-led category, Zainab Boluwatife Adeagbo of MamaAlert won N20 million for her digital healthcare solution, while Kelvin Nnadi of Neural Forge received N30 million for an AI-powered medical diagnostic innovation in the Hackathon category.
Moruf Oseni, managing director/CEO, Wema Bank, said the N300 million investment demonstrated the financial institution’s confidence in young Nigerian innovators and their capacity to drive economic growth.
He said the hackaholics would continue to provide entrepreneurs with funding, mentorship, industry exposure and networks to transform promising ideas into scalable businesses.
Launched in 2019, Wema Bank’s hackaholics has recorded over 21,000 applicants across seven editions and supported more than 10,000 startups across three countries.