Startup Grind Lagos

23/02/2026

Big conversations create big shifts. 🚀

This Saturday, the fintech conversation in Lagos gets real.

We’re excited to host Bidemi Oke, CEO of FlashChange, as he shares powerful insights on Scaling Digital Assets and Driving Innovation in the African Fintech Ecosystem, a must-attend session for founders, tech professionals, investors, and anyone building in Africa’s digital economy.

Hosted by Startup Grind Lagos, this fireside chat will unpack:

How to scale digital financial products in Africa

Innovation strategies that actually work

Lessons from building and leading FlashChange

What founders must get right in today’s Startup climate.

🗓 Date: Saturday, 28th February 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM WAT
📍 Venue: Cafe One Lekki

If you're building, scaling, or thinking about entering fintech, this is the room you want to be in.

If you want to learn, network and grow alongside sharp minds from the largest startup community in the world, this is where to be.

Tag a founder. Tag a developer. Tag someone in fintech.

Let’s build the future of African tech together. 🌍

09/09/2025

Rolu shared how vulnerability can foster innovation, trust, and collaboration within teams. He outlined ten features of leaders who effectively manifest vulnerability, including candor, sincerity, and adaptability.

The session emphasized that vulnerability is not a weakness but a strength that can lead to stronger team cohesion, reduced stress, and increased resilience.

Watch the full video -

In this workshop hosted by Startup Grind Lagos, featuring Rolu Adebola, a business leader with over 20 years of experience, the focus was on the importance ...

31/08/2025

The Power of Vulnerability: Creating Safe Spaces in Startup Culture.

In today’s startup world, vulnerability is often mistaken for weakness—but in reality, it’s a hidden superpower. This session explores how cultivating vulnerability can drive stronger leadership, deeper team trust, and a healthier, more resilient company culture.

About the Speaker:

Rolu is a business leader with over 20 years’ experience across global business, management consulting, and entrepreneurship. As a professionals, he spent years optimizing performance for multinational organizations like MTN, Ericsson, Etisalat, Airtel, UBA, First Bank and Access Bank among many others.

As an entrepreneur, he has led several companies including CFS West Africa Limited, Branch360 Limited and now currently serves as the CEO of Zanantis Inc., a health and wellness startup operating in Nigeria. Rolu is a member of the board of directors of the Customer Institute, a global body of leading CX consultants. He also serves on the Africa Regional Council of the CXPA, the global professional body for CX consultants based in the US.

Rolu holds an MBA in International Business from Tufts University (MA, United States), and is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School, through its executive education program. He assists companies in understanding competitive advantage within a global context, and in crafting strategies for winning in local markets.

When not working, Rolu enjoys writing, hiking, and mentoring.

Date: 7 September, 2025
Time: 7PM (WAT)
RSVP: https://www.startupgrind.com/e/m9scuu/

This session will challenge and inspire you to rethink what leadership, strength, and success truly mean in today’s entrepreneurial landscape.

13/08/2025

GITEX Nigeria 2025 will take place 1–4 September across Abuja and Lagos, making it the first-ever major tech event to span two powerhouse cities – Abuja, the nation’s policy epicentre, and Lagos, its commercial and start-up capital.

This landmark edition will bring together government leaders, global tech giants, investors, start-ups, and innovators across sectors including telecoms, cloud & AI, fintech, cyber security, IoT, and data infrastructure.

Startup Grind Lagos is proud to be a Community Partner to GITEX Nigeria, and for a limited time (this week), you can get register for the GITEX NIGERIA Tech Expo & Future Economy Conference for FREE.

Visit this link to save your spot - https://visit.gitexnigeria.ng/?elqTrackId=8C60B6375A332D39FDC49F5C7B5E05F6&elqTrack=true

Keep grinding.

12/02/2025

Startup Grind Lagos is excited to announce that we are a community partner to the Lagos Tech Fest 2025 taking place on 19th and 20th February, 2025.

Now in its 5th year, Lagos Tech Fest gathers startups, innovators, investors, and government representatives to shape Nigeria's tech future through conferences, exhibitions, networking, and driving ecosystem investments.

Learn more and register here - https://tech.eventhive.ng/

Keep Grinding.

29/01/2025

Startup Grind is selecting the top 150 startups and scaleups from our global community to showcase at the 2025 SG Conference in Silicon Valley in April, 2025 ! Have you applied yet? If selected, you’ll receive:

✅ A dedicated exhibition space to showcase your startup

✅ A pitch slot on stage to wow investors & industry leaders

✅ Exclusive access to a private summit focused on pitching, fundraising, and scaling

✅ One-on-one investor meetings—last year, over 500 meetings were booked with top firms like Index Ventures, Accel, Point72, Khosla Ventures & more!

These meetings have led to game-changing partnerships, funding deals, and massive growth milestones. Don’t miss your shot to be part of the action!

Apply now and take your startup to the next level! 🚀🔥

To be a part of the Startup Exhibition, find the package prices below:

✨ Idea stage: $399

✨ Bootstrapped to Seed Stage: $2,999

✨ Seed stage to Series A Stage: $4.999

To sign up to exhibit your startup, follow this link https://zpr.io/tsfz9KgyvBiQ, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need guidance with the application.

Let's get you to Silicon Valley.

Best wishes,
Startup Grind Lagos

Ready to pitch, book investor meetings, acquire customers and gather product feedback?

23/01/2025

2025 Startup Grind Global Pitch Battle – The Final 🌍

From 1500+ competitors across 35 countries, 6 continents - it all comes down to this!

Join us today as 10 exceptional startups from around the world pitch their innovative ideas and compete for the title of Global Pitch Champion 2025 and a spot at the SG Conference in April.

🎯 Event Details:
📅 Date: Thursday, January 23
⏰ Time: 10:30 PM IST / 5 PM GMT / 12 PM EST / 9 AM PST

📍 Location: Virtual (Register HERE - https://www.startupgrind.com/events/details/startup-grind-silicon-valley-san-francisco-bay-area-presents-sg-global-pitch-battle-2025-the-final/cohost-lagos)

✨ Meet the Finalists and their pitch order:

1️⃣ Feminai – Karny Ilan, MD 🇮🇱 (Tel Aviv, Israel)
2️⃣ ClaimKit – osama latrech 🇴🇲 (Muscat, Oman)
3️⃣ Maawa – Abdallah Al Raggad 🇯🇴 (Amman, Jordan)
4️⃣ NXT Grid – Fabio De Pascale 🇳🇬 (Lagos, Nigeria)
5️⃣ Pie - The Self Assessment App – Tom McNally 🥧 🇬🇧 (London, UK)
6️⃣ Hero Guest – Gabriel Garcia G. 🇲🇽 (Mexico City, Mexico)
7️⃣ Ovulio Corp. – Serhii Zatsarynin, PhD 🇺🇸 (New Orleans, US)
8️⃣ RealKey – Christopher Hussain 🇺🇸 (Silicon Valley, US)
9️⃣ Zette AI – Yehong Zhu 🇺🇸 (Colorado Springs, US)
🔟 Excuela – Gonzalo Yrigoyen Cook 🇵🇪 (Lima, Peru)

💡 Why Attend?
- Witness cutting-edge ideas from the brightest entrepreneurs.
- Get inspired by global innovations and diverse perspectives.
- Support your favorite startup in their journey to greatness!

Who will be crowned the 2025 Global Pitch Champion by our esteemed judges: Rio Hodges, Richard Sams, Anastasia Crew.

Join us to find out! 🏆

20/01/2025

Startup Grind Global Pitch Battle - Lagos: A Celebration of Innovation and Excellence!

Lagos, Nigeria.

The Startup Grind Global Pitch Battle - Lagos concluded with an electrifying grand finale on Thursday 16th January, 2025 showcasing the incredible entrepreneurial talent of the city.

The competition, which spanned several nights, brought together a vibrant mix of startups and industry experts. 60 Startups pitched their innovative solutions before an esteemed panel of judges, who carefully evaluated each pitch. We are grateful to this amazing line-up of judges for their expertise and dedication.

Emiola Abiola – Executive Director, KHAMSYS Technology

Jane Odonwodo – Founder, Workflow Consult

Manasseh Dati – CEO, InterWeave Solutions

Eche Onwugbenu – Founder Network Strategist, You Will Raise Capital

Kemeshi Samuel – COO, FirstFounders Ltd.

Udoka Otubelu – Director, Startup Grind Enugu

Walkat Wambutda – CEO, ChefWalis

Tomisin Olaifa – Fund Operations Analyst, Oui Capital

10 Startups - NXT Grid, Qiqi Farms, Scrybe Digital Hub, Cabax Farms, Damseth, Cold Alive, Smokeless Briqs, Kitovu, ZinariPay, and Befit Technologies made it to the grand finale which held on Day 4 of the pitch battle marathon, and out of this exceptional finalists NXT Grid emerged as the ultimate champion, earning top honors for their visionary approach to powering the world with smart energy.

The judges praised the finalists for their innovation, clarity, and passion, making the competition fiercely competitive. NXT Grid which secured the top position in Lagos with their groundbreaking energy solutions, has progressed to the Regional Semi-final where 25 top Startups from Africa, Europe and LATAM will compete for a spot at the Global finals to be held later this January.

The Startup Grind Lagos Team extends its heartfelt congratulations to NXT Grid and all participants for their hard work and dedication.

07/01/2025

Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), Africa’s leading champion of entrepreneurship, is pleased to announce that applications for its 2025 Entrepreneurship Programmes are now open.

Aspiring and existing entrepreneurs from across Africa are invited to apply for a chance to receive world-class training, expert mentoring, and non-refundable seed capital funding to scale their businesses.

Start Date: Wed Jan 01 2025

End Date: Sat Mar 01 2025

Apply here:

07/12/2024

The ultimate stage for early-stage startups. 🏆

Introducing our newest global initiative, where the world’s top emerging startups will face off and compete to claim the champion title and prizes all along the way! With Pitch Battles happening at over 100 local Startup Grind Chapters across 30+ countries, our entire community will be able to watch the winners clash in thrilling virtual Semi-Finals and Finals in January 2025.

Ready for the spotlight?

Apply here:

Welcome to the Startup Grind Global Pitch Battle, where the world’s top emerging startups will face off and compete to claim the ultimate champion title and prizes all along the way.

21/11/2024

It’s the Global Entrepreneurship Week - a celebration of innovators who dream big and launch startups that bring ideas to life. GEW reaches millions of people of all ages and backgrounds through local, national and global events and activities.

Startup Grind chapters around the world are coming together during Global Entrepreneurship Week 2024 to showcase how innovation is transforming industries, economies, and communities across the globe. This unique event marathon will take place on November 21st and 22nd, featuring a series of virtual events in different time zones, all celebrating the spirit of innovation.

Join us in Lagos, Nigeria for A conversation with Guy Kawasaki about remarkable people, thinking and times.

https://www.startupgrind.com/events/details/startup-grind-ft-lauderdale-presents-a-conversation-with-guy-kawasaki-about-remarkable-people-thinking-and-times/cohost-lagos

About the Speaker

Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist of Canva, author of Think Remarkable, host of the Remarkable People podcast, and adjunct professor of the University of California, Santa Cruz. He was the chief evangelist of Apple, Mercedes Benz brand ambassador, and trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation. He has also written The Art of the Start 2.0, The Art of Social Media, Enchantment, and twelve other books. Kawasaki has a BA from Stanford University, an MBA from UCLA, and an honorary doctorate from Babson College.