By FUNMILOLA GBOTEKU

Wema Bank says its third ‘pitch-athon’ Hackaholics by ALAT would empower young techpreneurs through a unique capacity building programme.

Mr Olusegun Adeniyi, Wema Bank Chief Digital Officer, in a statement, said the Hackaholics would provide up to N5 million in financial grants for young techpreneurs.

The digital officer said the three-day boot camp which would be held at Babcock University would hold between Tuesday and Thursday next week.

He said: “This ‘pitch-a-thon’ is designed to take place across three centres in Nigeria with the aim of giving as many young Nigerians as possible an opportunity to pitch their ideas to an incredible crop of experienced innovators.

“Last month, the first pitch session was heavily contested by 20 innovators at the Federal University of Technology (FUTA), Akure, Ondo. Three excited techpreneurs were selected to proceed to the grand finale,” he said.

Adeniyi said that participants would be exposed to the creative, technical and business aspects of innovation in specially curated sessions with seasoned innovators, venture capitalists and the ALAT by Wema team.

He said that the hackaholics was birthed by ALAT to support tech enthusiasts and innovators in scaling and gaining entrance into the market.

“ALAT by Wema has been one of the leading advocates for youth economic empowerment in Nigeria and the drive to support the young tenacious Nigerian is the key motivation for many of our youth-centred initiatives like the hackaholics,” Adeniyi said.

Mr Solomon Ayodele, Wema Bank Head of Innovation, said: “We have developed a process that will draw out the very best ideas that embody our values and the objectives of this competition.

Ayodele said that interested persons who met the criteria were required to fill an online application.

He said: “Based on the viability of their ideas, candidates will then be selected through a meticulous process led by a credible panel of business experts.

“Ten finalists will be shortlisted for the pitch process and our experts will pick the final three who would represent the pitch centre at the grand finale later in the year.

“Asides from the funding made available to the winners, there will be a series of mentorship sessions to help the winners bring their ideas to life,” Ayodele said.

NAN reports that ALAT has made significant investments aimed at enhancing the growth of the Nigerian fintech space.

The bank is a major advocate of youths through innovative offerings like ALAT for business, a corporate internet banking platform designed to help business owners manage their businesses better. (NAN)

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