The South East Development Commission has announced the winners of the inaugural South East Venture Capital Programme (SEVCP) Pitch Competition, describing the initiative as a major step toward building a globally competitive innovation and enterprise ecosystem in the South East.
Competition Highlights and Categories
The competition, which ended with a Finals Day and Investment Ceremony in Enugu, featured startups and emerging businesses operating across healthcare, artificial intelligence, clean energy, mobility, agriculture, fintech, legal technology, commerce, logistics, education technology and public infrastructure innovation.
The Commission explained that the programme was structured into two categories — the Incubator Track and the Accelerator Track. According to the Commission, the Incubator Track was designed to support early-stage startups with foundational business support and venture readiness, while the Accelerator Track focused on more mature startups with scalable business models and stronger market traction.
Selection Process and Winners
Following what it described as a rigorous evaluation process involving investors, ecosystem leaders, business executives and industry experts, 10 startups emerged from the Incubator Track, while 15 startups were selected from the Accelerator Track.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Mark Okoye II, said the initiative reflects the agency’s commitment to identifying and supporting indigenous entrepreneurs capable of driving industrialisation, job creation and investment attraction across the South East.
He said the venture capital programme was conceived not merely as a startup competition but as a long-term economic development strategy aimed at unlocking the entrepreneurial potential of the region and strengthening the pipeline of investable businesses emerging from the South East.
Support for Selected Startups
Okoye added that the selected startups would receive financial support, mentorship, technical assistance, investor access, business advisory services and ecosystem partnerships to help them scale sustainably and become investment-ready enterprises.
He also reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to collaborating with venture capital firms, development institutions, innovation hubs, academic institutions and corporate partners to deepen entrepreneurial opportunities and innovation-driven economic growth in the region.
Incubator Track Winners
The startups selected under the Incubator Track are Health Vault NG LTD, VIBET BIO, Wattmuse Energy, KoboTrac, Simsak, Growdex, Farmi AI LTD, CNG Protect, Linia Finance and Keke Ride.
Accelerator Track Winners
Those selected under the Accelerator Track are Ondigo Technologies Limited, Skilladder, KIRA AI LIMITED, RapidMedicare Limited, SmartAirs, Bra-X, Stur Africa, Nigenius, SpaceOps, FLOF CO, Case Radar, Smart Transport Grid Ltd (STRAG), 8Bit Digital Systems Limited, CLIMAX GREEN (AGROFUXION) and Afiari.
The Commission commended participating founders, judges, mentors, investors, sponsors and ecosystem partners for contributing to the successful execution of the inaugural edition of the programme. It stated that the programme marks the beginning of a broader strategy to catalyse innovation-led growth, strengthen enterprise development and build a more prosperous and globally competitive South East economy through strategic investment in talent, technology and entrepreneurship.
