StartUP Friday is a programme designed by the OIIE to promote and encourage start-up development and foster relationships with investors, mentors and upcoming tech-driven-start-ups. It is a rich value-driven “meet-up” designed to bridge the gaps that exist amongst startups, investors, mentors, buyers and other players in the Nigerian entrepreneurial ecosystem, helping the startups to grow and scale their businesses.
The fourth edition of StartUP Friday programme of the Office for ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIIE) has been scheduled for Friday 1 July, 2016 in Abuja. The programme will hold at the Red Sparrow Events Centre, Maitama, Abuja, from 3.20pm.
This edition is different from the previous three editions held in February, March and April 2016 consecutively. As with all other editions in the past, this edition has something new and peculiar for the technology ecosystem in Nigeria.
It is tagged FutureHACK! It is the journey to the future 2025. FutureHACK! is sectoral, looking for not just ordinary solutions but innovative solutions to deep challenges of the future (solutions with growth potential). This edition of StartUP Friday (#SUF4) will feature amongst others:
- Investor Forum: In collaboration with Lagos Angel Network (LAN). There will be focus meeting with LAN as part of the steps towards creating Abuja Business Angel Network (ABUBAN).
- ShowUP-to-Pitch: innovative startups will pitch their products/solutions that address Agric, Healthcare, Financial Services, Robotics/Drones/IoT and Renewable Energy challenges.
- FutureHACK Session: where out-of-this world, innovative, futuristic but thought-provoking ideas and/or solutions will be presented for further research and funding into becoming viable ventures.
- Fireside Chat on Sourcing and Investing in Deals
- Networking Session amongst startups, investors and ecosystem players
This is initiative has helped to discover and provide exposure to some highly scalable startups in the last four months. The past three editions of StartUP Friday have had in attendance 1,120 participants, 455 startups, 35 investors and 10 hub operators. And the OIIE has been able to enhance the technology value chain tangibly in the following ways:
- 7 tech-driven startups have received funding in various forms through us and visiting investors to StartUP Friday
- 18 startups are being funded for various mentorship, grinding session and accelerator programme
- 4 startups have been penciled to showcase and pitch at Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) in Dubai in October
- 6 startups from our events have been recommended by OIIE to pitch at SpeedUPAfrica Ghana, a one week accelerator and boot camp event to pitch before big venture capitalists and investors like Tim Draper
- Over 20 startups have been tipped for the accelerator programme with ‘500 Startups’ later this year.
Following the significant enhancement of startup engagement and value in the Abuja Eco-system this year, OIIE is looking to scale the programme to other Nigerian cities in 2017 by collaborating with ecosystem players (i.e. hubs, academic institutions, state government etc.) through a franchise model.