Nigeria Triumphs as Start-ups Win Big at NBA Africa Demo Day

Two Nigerian startups has been adjudged among the four winners at the first NBA Africa Startup Accelerator Demo Day, held on September 25, 2024.

The event, launched by NBA Africa in April 2024 to support Africa’s growing tech ecosystem and foster the next generation of entrepreneurs, recognized Festival Coins (Nigeria), Salubata (Nigeria), HustleSasa (Kenya), and UBR VR (Egypt) as the top four businesses.

From an initial pool of 10 finalists, including four Nigerian startups, NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum announced the winning businesses. The winners of the NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator will receive financial support, mentorship, and opportunities to participate in workshops and development programs led by NBA Africa and its partners.

The competition began with over 700 early-stage African startups submitting applications. These businesses pitched their innovative products to a panel of international industry leaders during Demo Day at NBA headquarters in New York City. The panel of judges included Accelerate Africa co-founder Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, NBA Assistant General Counsel Franciscus Diaba, Managing Director of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Rwanda Crystal Rugege, Chegg Inc. Executive Chairman Dan Rosensweig, and Partner at Development Partners International Joanne Yoo.

Festival Coins, a Nigerian event technology company offering a customizable, no-code event registration and ticketing platform called Tix Africa, took first place and was awarded $50,000.

The second-place prize of $40,000 went to another Nigerian startup, Salubata, which creates modular shoes from repurposed plastic waste, helping to reduce the global carbon footprint through environmentally-friendly products.