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Zenith Bank Awards N190m to African Innovators
Zenith Bank gives ₦190m to African tech innovators at sixth tech fair.
In brief
Zenith Bank gives ₦190m to African tech innovators at sixth tech fair. Zenith Bank awarded ₦190m to 13 winners across three innovation competitions at its sixth tech fair. Originally reported by Premium Times Nigeria.
Zenith Bank Tech Fair 2026
Zenith Bank awards ₦190m to 13 winners across three innovation competitions at its sixth tech fair.
Event Details
Held virtually on Thursday, 5 November 2026, under theme 'AI: Embrace or Extinct'.
Competitions
Three competitions: Hackathon, Startup Pitch Competition, Future Innovators Challenge.
Hackathon Winners
Team Solo won with ₦35m, 10x Brains second with ₦20m, Rumour Hunters third with ₦15m.
Startup Pitch Winners
Cutstruct Technology Limited won with ₦35m, Sproutly second with ₦20m, PharmaRun third with ₦15m.
Future Innovators Challenge Winners
Caleb British International School won with ₦5m, Queen of the Rosary College second with ₦3m, Regina Pacis International School third with ₦2m.
Winning Solutions
Cutstruct’s LiveVend transforms construction procurement, Sproutly simplifies school payments, PharmaRun improves medication access.
Mentorship Program
Winners receive six-week mentorship and incubation to refine solutions and scale innovations.
Jim Ovia’s Vision
Jim Ovia aims to empower young people through technology, creating global impact leaders.
Dr Adaora Umeoji’s Remarks
Dr Adaora Umeoji stressed Africa’s role in global AI revolution and urged embracing AI technology.
Lagos State Governor’s Support
Lagos State Governor praised Zenith Bank’s tech contributions and commitment to innovation.
Minister of Innovation’s Endorsement
Minister of Innovation highlighted public-private collaboration for economic opportunities.
Keynote Speaker
Zach Kass, former Head of Go-to-Market at OpenAI, discussed AI and human judgement.
Bank’s History
Zenith Tech Fair started with founder Jim Ovia’s vision for young tech talent.
Past Winners
Previous winners developed solutions like JumpnPass, CreditChek, TrustLoop, and Cubbes Technologies.
Future Focus
Zenith Bank extends support to secondary school students through Future Innovators Challenge.
The key point
Zenith Bank awarded ₦190m to 13 winners across three innovation competitions at its sixth tech fair.
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