Three female-led startups have secured a combined N9.5 million in seed funding at the second edition of the Innovation Makers Challenge (IMC) Conference and Innovation Exhibition in Lagos, organised to advance sustainable innovation across Nigeria.

The event was convened by the Telecommunication and Technology Sustainability Working Group (TTSWG) and sponsored by IHS Nigeria. It brought together policymakers, industry chief executives, investors, development partners, financial institutions, young innovators and thought leaders from across Nigeria’s technology and telecommunications ecosystem.

Held under the theme “Nurturing Innovation Ecosystems: Beyond Ideas to Real Impact”, the second edition, IMC 2.0, expanded on the inaugural conference by extending its focus from two sectors to five areas considered critical to Nigeria’s sustainable development: health, agriculture, education, climate change and technology.

A major highlight was a live pitch competition featuring five early-stage, female-led businesses developing solutions across agriculture, climate-friendly innovation and education technology.

The finalists were QiqiFarms, a farm produce offtaker AgriTech business; Elcornel Business Enterprises Limited, which focuses on climate-friendly AgriTech; Anatsor Limited, a technology-based poultry farming management software enabler; Agrovesto, which is pioneering a technology-based operating system for bankable and sustainable agriculture; and Blue Sands STEM Labs, a virtual laboratory EdTech business.

The three winning businesses shared N9.5 million in seed funding to support their growth. Agrovesto emerged as the overall winner, receiving N6 million, while Blue Sands STEM Labs secured N2 million as first runner-up. QiqiFarms received N1 million as second runner-up.

Dapo Otunla, Senior Vice President and Chief Corporate Services Officer at IHS Nigeria, described the conference as an important platform for helping young innovators turn ideas into practical solutions by bridging gaps between infrastructure, connectivity and the capabilities needed to solve real-world problems.

He highlighted the role of education in equipping entrepreneurs with the knowledge required to build stronger businesses, create jobs, develop talent, make informed decisions and expand sustainably.

“As a company, we believe education is one of the most powerful forms of economic empowerment available to us. When entrepreneurs are equipped with the right knowledge, they build stronger businesses. They create employment, develop other people, make smarter decisions and scale responsibly. And, perhaps most importantly, they create value that extends far beyond themselves into their families, their communities, and ultimately, the nation,” he said.

Otunla also explained how the initiative seeks to connect infrastructure and technological access with the practical knowledge innovators need to develop their ideas.

“This is the intersection where the Innovation Makers Challenge lives: the meeting point between infrastructure and imagination, between connectivity and capability. That’s the gap this conference exists to close. Not the physical one, the one between having an idea and knowing what to do with that idea.”

Bankole Oloruntoba, Lead Consultant at the TTSWG Secretariat, said the expansion of the conference reflected its broader ambition to strengthen sustainability across the technology and telecommunications sectors by supporting innovation in multiple fields.

“When we had the first Innovation Makers Challenge Conference & Exhibition, we had quite a number of participants. The first edition focused mostly on two sectors, while today we have expanded to five sectors – health, agriculture, education, climate change and technology,” he said.

Oloruntoba noted that technological solutions alone would not be sufficient to achieve sustainability, stressing the importance of complementary activities and collaboration in developing innovation ecosystems.

“We know the sector cannot attain sustainability with just technology alone; we also have to bring in other essential components or wide-range of activities. The IMC is built on the premise of supporting innovation and also creating a convergence for young innovators within those sectors. There are different milestones in building an innovation, but one critical part is the ability to inspire a new generation of innovators. This is part of what IMC seeks to achieve,” Oloruntoba said.

Beyond the pitch competition, IMC 2.0 featured product exhibitions, panel discussions, fireside chats and networking sessions. These activities connected young innovators with investors and industry leaders who could help them develop their solutions and move from ideas to market-ready offerings.

Oloruntoba expressed appreciation to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), conference sponsor IHS Nigeria, and the event’s partners for supporting TTSWG and providing a platform for young innovators to showcase their creativity.

The partners included MTN, Airtel, Co-Creation Hub, Hydrogen, Lagos Business School (LBS) Sustainability Centre and the Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre (NCIC).

Source: Tribune