Cohort: iDICE Startup Bridge Admits 185 Founders
Nume Ekeghe
The federal government’s Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) programme has onboarded 185 founders into the inaugural cohort of its Startup Bridge initiative, marking an early milestone in the rollout of the $617 million programme aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s digital and creative economy.
The selected founders will join the Founders Lab, one of two tracks under the Startup Bridge designed to support early-stage and growth-stage startups. The cohort was drawn from a competitive pool of over 7,000 applications received after the portal opened in March 2026.
Launched in 2023, iDICE is a federal government initiative co-financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB), Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), with the Bank of Industry sethe rving as executing agency.
