Lagos — In a landmark reaffirmation of its commitment to Africa’s digital future, Zenith Bank has awarded ₦140 million in cash prizes to ten promising innovators during the fifth edition of its annual Zenith Tech Fair. The event — themed “Future Forward 5.0: Tech for Success – Innovate, Adapt, Accelerate” — was held on November 20, 2025, at the Eko Convention Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The 2025 fair introduced an expanded dual-competition format combining a high-stakes Hackathon and a Startup Pitch Competition — pulling in over 2,000 participants from across Africa, including developers, entrepreneurs and startup founders.
At the close of the competition, two standout winners each claimed top prizes of ₦30 million. In the Hackathon category, Trust Loop triumphed with a digital solution offering seamless KYC (Know-Your-Customer) and liveness-verification capability — a critical tool for secure onboarding and identity verification in fintech. Meanwhile, in the Startup Pitch contest, Cubbes Technologies Limited took the lead with its AI-powered EdTech platform designed to boost learning outcomes and career readiness for university students.
The remaining eight finalists — Venille Ltd, Sowota, FLOW, InvoPay, Zenith Intelliscore, The Very Hacked Men, Konfam and Zerax — each received ₦10 million in non-dilutive funding. All ten winners will also benefit from a six-week mentorship and incubation programme slated to run from December 2025 through February 2026, aimed at helping the teams refine and scale their solutions.
Speaking at the event, Zenith Bank’s Group Managing Director/CEO, Adaora Umeoji, expressed gratitude to the founder and chairman, Jim Ovia, for his “visionary foresight” in launching the Tech Fair — a platform that has over time helped nurture Africa’s tech talent and foster innovation. She stressed that given the pace of technological advancement, the next major breakthrough could come “from any one of you in this room today.”
In his own remarks, Jim Ovia reiterated the bank’s long-term mission to empower young Africans through technology, envisioning a future where the continent produces global tech giants.
By supporting innovators with funding, mentorship and global exposure, Zenith Tech Fair 5.0 has underscored the critical role of private-sector leadership in accelerating Africa’s digital transformation. For many of these startups, the cash prize and incubation opportunity could mark the beginning of a journey toward scalable, impactful solutions across fintech, education, identity verification and more.
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