Funding Gap, Not Ideas, Killing Nigerian Startups, Warns Bet9ja Foundation as Schooled Afrika Wins ₦10m
Mary Nnah
Nigeria is not short of entrepreneurs with solutions. What is missing, according to Bet9ja Foundation, is capital, access, and mentorship to turn those ideas into businesses that create jobs and survive beyond the first year.
That reality played out over the weekend at the Bet9ja Foundation ScaleUp Business Pitch Night 2.0 in Lagos, where Schooled Afrika, an EdTech platform founded by Bukola Aleriwa, won the ₦10 million grand prize after the Foundation doubled the award from ₦5 million.
The move, announced by Executive Director Ada Cuomo, was a direct response to what she called the biggest barrier facing young founders: lack of funding and visibility.
