Staff Bus Nigeria Wins STEP Competition, Secures NGN 5 Mn Grant
Staff Bus Nigeria, a tech startup that solves the challenges commuters face daily in Lagos, emerged as the overall winner of the Seyi Tinubu Empowerment Project (STEP), Lagos edition. Along that line, the startup won the NGN 5 Mn (USD 14K) grant from STEP. In addition, Staff Bus Nigeria won a free LCD advertising display of their brand in the Lekki Toll advertising Plaza in Lagos, and a free office space at ENOV8 Solutions, an African IT enterprise focused on innovative research and the promotion of Lekki operating relationships.
The first runner-up at the pitch competition was DriversNG and the second runner-up was Meat World. Both tech startups as well bring about solutions to the everyday problems faced in Nigeria using innovative technology.
Oludayo Olujekun, Co-founder of Staff Bus Nigeria, said at the event that the STEP initiative is already a game-changer in the tech sector, as it is bringing about strong, formidable support for tech startups that solve real-life challenges by means of Nigerian technology. Speaking, he said he felt “Excited for the future of Nigeria through STEP because young tech entrepreneurs are now aware of the need to focus tech for development.” He described it as a “Wake up call for tech entrepreneurs and millennials to avail themselves this opportunity.”
The Staff Bus Nigeria co-founder further expressed his thankfulness and sense of obligation to the Noella Foundation who was the mastermind behind the initiative, iterating that the platform is an avalanche of hope and aspiration for Nigerian communities, as evident in its initiatives.
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The co-founders of the Noella Foundation, Layal Jade Tinubu, and Seyi Tinubu both spoke at the event. According to Layal, “The Noella Foundation has a goal to give back to the community through the empowerment of young entrepreneurs and millennials in Nigeria. We feel the time has come for our generation to start giving the younger set a fair chance to excel in their endeavors by making positive societal changes in Nigeria”. Seyi then informed the press that there would be other near-future initiatives through which other sectors under the foundation would be empowered.
Noella Foundation is a provider of empowerment and encourages for youths to become game-changers in society. They help youths identify and use their passions and skills to create solutions that will empower Nigerian communities and better the economy. Through the initiative christened as STEP, the platform accords business mentorship and networking avenues to affiliate with a community of like-minded pioneers in the tech scene of Nigeria.
