AGC Nigeria a healthcare innovation startup was on Monday, September 14, 2015 crowned the startup of the year at the maiden edition of NigeriaCom Entrepreneurs hub held at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, Lagos Nigeria. The startup will be representing West Africa at the AfricaCom Entrepreneurs Hub Pitch & Win event holding at A-Hub, South Africa in November 2015.
AGC Nigeria, a startup from the great Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) was one of the scores of startups that vied for the critically acclaimed Pitch & Win event organized by Informa UK in collaboration with Wennovation Hub and Disrupt Africa.
The Entrepreneurs Hub kick started with a speed dating session that saw the top 20 entrants rubbing minds with mentors from organizations like Etisalat, GTB, Visafone among others.
Wole Odetayo the Managing Partner of Wennovation Hub who gave the opening remark emphasized the significance of mentorship in the success story of startups. He called on mentors from all walks of life to join forces with Wennovation Hub in providing mentorship supports to emerging entrepreneurs whom he claimed are the job creators complementing government’s efforts.
Moshood Abdullateef, who doubles as the Operations Director of Wennovation Hub and an alumnus of Great IFE was delighted that his alma mater is at it again. “Nigerian Universities are setting pace in innovation and entrepreneurship and I am happy Obafemi Awolowo University is also doing fine in this realm. The young man from AGC Nigeria said his startup was an offshoot of his final year research work in the Faculty of Pharmacy. This is what we are pushing for – every Nigerian graduate should be an entrepreneur,” he stated.
Four out of the five top teams pitched before a panel of judges that included Chukwuemeka Afigbo of Google, Paul Adepoju of Innovation Village and Wole Odetayo of Wennovation Hub. The teams are: Rubiqube, an online advertising platform that rewards users for watching advertisement videos, AGC Nigeria, a health initiative that blurs contemporary pharmaceutical practice with technology thereby reducing mortality rates, AfriMatch, an online market place for agro-allied products, and Crowd Penny, a crowdfunding platform.
The judges commended the top teams and provided them with feedbacks which will help them in developing their startups.
Adam Thompson, Head of Content at Informa UK while presenting a plaque with the inscription: “NIGERIACOM STARTUP OF THE YEAR” to the winning team, lauded Wennovation Hub for its role in advising and managing the implementation framework of the Entrepreneurs Hub which relied solely on its sector experience and background.
The Outreach Director of Wennovation Hub, Uche Ogwu congratulated all participants stating that, “For you to make it here, then your ideas are great ones. We received about a hundred entries and our selection judges were drawn from the North America, the UK, and Africa. I’m more than convinced that you are all winners”
