Monthly Archives: October 2025

awards, competition, Events, Opportunities

2025 ZENITH BANK ZECATHON 5.0 STARTUP PITCH COMPETITION AT THE ZENITH BANK TECH FAIR

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Application Deadline: 31st October, 2025

LOCATION: Africa

From Lagos to the Gambia and Sierra Leone to Accra, the 2025 Zenith Bank Startup Pitch Competition is where bold ideas meet opportunity. Step onto the continental stage, showcase your solution, and unlock the visibility, partnerships, and resources to scale across Africa and beyond.

The 2025 Zenith Bank Startup Pitch Competition at the Zenith Bank Tech Fair is Africa’s stage for bold innovators shaping the future. This year, it highlights Generative AI, Agentic AI, and emerging technologies transforming industries across the continent. 

ELIGIBILITY:

To be eligible for the Zenith Bank Startup Pitch Competition & Incubation Program, applicants must:

Be an early-stage African startups with a registered business entity

Operate in one or more of the listed focus sectors

Demonstrate a viable product or Minimum Viable Product (MVP) with initial market traction

Present a scalable business model with clear growth potential

Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your startup! Applications close on [31 October, 2025]

This competition seeks to elevate startups innovating in these critical sectors

BENEFIT:

Cash Prizes: The Top 5 startups win 70 million: ₦30 million to the 1st place, and 4 other finalists receive ₦10 million.

Investor Access and Mentorship: Connect with investors, seasoned entrepreneurs, and experts, opening doors for follow-on funding and strategic partnerships.

Strategic Resources: Intensive training in financial management, product development, branding, and market positioning for business growth.

Networking and Exposure Networking and Exposure: Engage with corporate leaders and potential partners through exclusive events and pitch sessions.

Growth Opportunities: Collaborate with industry leaders for technical support, co-development, and market entry support to drive scalability.

APPLY
awards, competition, Events, Opportunities

D-PRIZE CHALLENGES/STARTUP GRANTS

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Application Deadline: 23 November 2025 at midnight PT (pacific time) 

LOCATION: Multiple Regions

D-Prize awards startup grants to entrepreneurs launching new organizations. They believe the world needs more social impact organizations, and we seed for-profit ventures, NGOs, and charities. They support organizations in any low- or middle-income country where extreme poverty still exists.

ELIGIBILITY:

D-Prize is for new organizations. Most of our awardees are first-time entrepreneurs. Most have not yet launched their organization, nor have they raised other funding. We especially encourage those from low- and middle-income countries to apply. See who we recently seeded.

We will consider applications from existing organizations only if your core focus is distributing an existing and evidence-based poverty intervention. We typically will not support organizations with more than 18 months of full-time operations or that have raised more than $30,000 USD in outside funding.

The seed support is meant to be the launching point for your organization that grows to large-scale. Follow our Application Process to design an initial test pilot of your larger vision. Submit your concept to our twice-annual competition. If selected, you will receive seed support to launch.

Round 1: Submit your two-page concept note and resume(s).  We receive 3000+ submissions per competition.

Round 2: The Top 5% of entrepreneurs are invited to answer short written questions. You will have two weeks to draft and submit.

 Final round: Top entrepreneurs have phone and email interviews. The top 1% receive up to $20,000 to launch.

Award & Launch: Spend the next few months piloting your idea and building an organization that soon grows to a large scale

BENEFIT:

D-Prize awards startup grants of up to $20,000 to entrepreneurs launching new organizations.

APPLY