Seven children from Nigeria have been awarded a total of N1.1 million in startup grants for their innovative business ideas. The grants were given under the startup spark 2.0 competition, which was part of the Teesas summer school program. The summer school, organized by Teesas Education, was sponsored by Indomie and Tech4Dev. The program ran in two cohorts from July 20 to August 29 and focused on developing leadership, entrepreneurship, technology, and creative skills in the participating children.
The children presented their business ideas in a pitching competition at the end of each cohort, and the entries were opened to public voting. The winners of the competition received different grant amounts based on their rankings. Obaniefo Okonkwo and Daniel Chukwuemeka, who came first in cohorts one and two respectively, received the diamond grant of N250,000 each. Kobi Mba and Mojeed Zatu-Nurayn, who placed second in cohorts one and two, received gold grants of N150,000 each.
Three other participants, Oluwatoni Oyename, Akinkunmi Awomokun, and Nehemiah Layade, received bronze grants of N100,000 each. One of the standout beneficiaries was Mojeed Zatu-Nurayn, a 10-year-old who combined her participation in the program with success in other initiatives sponsored by Indomie and Tech4Dev. She had submitted the first entry for the Indomie and Teesas Education for the future CEO challenge, which offered five children free slots to attend the summer school.
Mojeed's business idea was to develop robots that could assist young and elderly people in crossing roads. Her pitch was shortlisted by an internal judging team for its societal relevance and was later subjected to public voting. Through Tech4Dev, a non-profit organization that focuses on equipping underserved populations with technology, digital, and creative skills, 10 children from Makoko were also sponsored to attend the summer school.
The Teesas Learning Centre Growth Manager, Gladys Ede Osime, commended the children for demonstrating commitment to developing and promoting their ideas. She also noted that public participation in the competition was significant, with cumulative votes across the two cohorts exceeding 50,000. According to Osime, the grants are a token to encourage the recipients to remain curious about entrepreneurship and keep exploring ideas that change society for good.
Mojeed's father, Hammed Mojeed, expressed his gratitude to Teesas Education for creating the opportunity for his daughter to develop her skills and confidence. He commended the organization for investing time, effort, and support in his daughter throughout the program. Mojeed's success in the competition was a testament to the impact of the program on young people.
The Teesas summer school program is an initiative aimed at empowering young people with skills and knowledge to become future leaders and entrepreneurs. The program's success is evident in the innovative business ideas presented by the children and the significant public participation in the competition. The grants awarded to the winners will go a long way in supporting their entrepreneurial endeavors and encouraging them to continue developing ideas that can positively impact society.
Key points
- Seven Nigerian children have won N1.1 million in grants for pitching innovative business ideas that address societal problems.
- The grants were awarded under the startup spark 2.0 competition, which was part of the Teesas summer school program.
- The program aimed to develop leadership, entrepreneurship, technology, and creative skills in young people.
