Incubators and Hubs

Global with offices and/or programs in Nigeria

(Liberalizing Innovation Opportunity Nations)LIONS@FRICA is an organization based in London and Ghana providing business development support, and investing in the 4Cs: Capacity-building, access to Capital, enhanced Connectivity to global markets, and Credibility by raising awareness of Africa's innovation potential.

1. CoderDojo – a global network of free, volunteer-led, community-based programming clubs for young people. Anyone aged seven to seventeen can visit a Dojo where they can learn to code, build a website, create an app or a game, and explore technology in an informal, creative, and social environment. 13 Dojos located in and near Lagos are listed here, and 7 Dojos in and near Abuja can be found here.
2. DEMO Africa - the annual DEMO Africa conference attracts over 2,000 people from around the globe to experience the finest of Africa’s innovations at their birth. During the conference, a hand-selected class of new technology products are introduced to the world through an audience of global press and prolific bloggers; investors; corporate acquirers; strategic partners and buyers. More info about the application and selection is here.

Melt Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) and the MEST incubator program provide training investment and mentoring for aspiring technology entrepreneurs with the goal of creating globally successful companies that create jobs and wealth in Africa.

Impact Hub Lagos, a member of the Impact Hub global network, is a community that allows entrepreneurs and innovators to come together as peers while they develop their skills and work on building their businesses. Support offered by Impact Hub includes startup education, startup support, institutional innovation, networking and convening events, and ecosystem development.

(Global Entrepreneurship Network) GEN Nigeria is a year-round platform that helps Nigerians unleash their ideas and turn them into promising new ventures. It operates across the six geo political zones with GEN coordinators. The platform offers programs and resources that are intended to help smooth the path to market for founder teams. In addition, it provides entrepreneurs at all stages with the support necessary to reach the next level. You can register to become member for events. The detailed programmes offered by GEN Nigeria can be found here.

Endeavor Nigeria provides and promotes the right mix of talent, funding and networks to accelerate high-impact entrepreneurs that can transform the local economy and the wider region through large-scale job creation, investment, and innovation.It is worth noting that entrepreneurs cannot apply to join the network. Instead, Endeavor Nigeria's entrepreneur selection and growth associates scan the field for worthy candidates. The first of the four-stage process involves interviews by their team to assess candidates’ viability. After that, Endeavor mentors conduct multiple interviews to probe the business's strategy, innovation, growth potential, and entrepreneurs’ personal qualities. In 2020, Endeavor aims to add between four and six companies to this list. (Update: energy startup Daystar Power has joined the network)

Nigeria based

Co-creation Hub is Nigeria's first open living lab and pre-incubation space designed to be a multi-functional, multi-purpose space where work to catalyse creative social tech ventures takes place. It is a place for technologists, social entrepreneurs, government, tech companies, impact investors and hackers in and around Lagos to co-create new solutions to the many social problems in Nigeria. The Hub offers programmes such as pre-incubation, incubation, and acceleration, to tech startups, in order to support them to bring their ideas/products to life. They provide an incubation space in Lagos. More details and criteria for application, click here.

Leadpath Nigeria is a business accelerator and a seed capital investor, with a focus on technology entrepreneurs dealing in software applications, mobile applications, electronic payments and big data. Leadpath works with companies in the technology sector at any stage of their journey. The average investment ranges from $25,000 to several millions of dollars depending on the business needs, entry stage as well as the opportunity.

Wennovation Hub focuses on social impact sectors including Agriculture, Healthcare, Education, Clean Energy and Social Infrastructure, and has offices in Lagos, Abuja and Ibadan. The Co-Working Spaces in Mokola Ibadan, Ikeja Lagos, and Jabi Abuja are open to all entrepreneurs.

1. Registration at Wennovation Hub provides the following opportunities with access to workspace, internet facilities and power supply, training programmes, opportunities to funding and network of business investors/consultants, as well as free invitations to various social and networking events.
2. The Wennovation Hub is incubation program is to guide early stage entrepreneurs to test and validate their ideas using basic business tools as well as gather their first set of customers and pivot where necessary. Apply here
3. Early Stage Funding supports different early stage entrepreneurs and invest in social impact ventures solving the most resilient challenges across Africa through The Afropreneur Fund. Apply here

Passion Incubator is a technology incubator/accelerator with expertise in innovation program design and tech investments.

1. Leadspace, their faliated co-working space is accessible with various fees and plans, located in Yaba, Ojodu, Ikoyi,and Victoria Island. Obtaining 1 membership can allow you to have discounted access to all other locations. More about Leadspace can be found here
2. Start Up Southwest includes pre-Incubation trainings programmes (3 months) and a Startup Incubation programme (3 months). For details and application, click here

Itanna is a Lagos based accelerator led by the Honeywell group.

1. Acceleration - it offers a 4 month accelerator programme. Tech Startups will receive initial investment of $30,000, as well as hands-on advice from experts and mentorship from leading global tech entrepreneurs and industry experts.
2. Co-working Hub – it offers flexible offices and meeting space, including private and shared offices, conference room and town hall, with different pricing plans.

SPARK is a company that builds companies, with a focus on Lagos, offering investments ranging $50,000 to $150,000. Spark is looking for internet-based start-up that is at seed-investment stage. To be considered for support, send them an email at info@spark.ng and explain why, succinctly, your startup is going to be the future of Africa’s Internet space.

Hebron Startup Lab is Nigeria’s first University-based (Covenant University) open living lab for entrepreneurs, investors, and both tech & non-tech startups.

1. Micro Venture Acceleration Programme 6.0attends to those who are still at the pre-seed stage. The programme will train, develop and help entrepreneurs develop skills in product development, customer development, customer acquisition, revenue modelling, business incorporation, branding, financial planning, mentorship, and fundraising. It will be FREE of charge. Inquiry and registration, click here.
2. Hebron Startup Lab Talent Pool provides opportunities for internships and also trainings in your area of interest, To apply, fill the form here and then visit their office.
3. Co-working Space - It offers various types of working spaces, including the virtual office, the start corner, and the start-up desk, at different pricing.

Start Innovation Hub Nigeria is an ICT firm with innovation lab in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, South-South of Nigeria. It helps technology startups with software and hardware ideas start up faster.

1. Membershipis open to tech entrepreneurs who wants to start up faster. Benefits include an open workspace, mentoring, training, access to hub facilities for non-commercial purposes, seed funding. The basic requirement for admission is interest and value in Start Innovation Hub. Members also benefit from various training in their field of interest. To know more and register here
2. Talent Development Centreoffers a 6-months training on subjects such as web development, software development, digital marketing. To enrol, click here.
3. Work Space with various pricing plans can be found here

​Innovation Support Network (ISN) is a non-profit organisation made up of 75 hubs with the prime objective of developing a community of best practices and promote collaboration amongst hubs, entrepreneurship and innovation across Nigeria. As of March 2020, the Network no longer accepts online membership applications, but can be reached through Schedule Zoom Call. 

Trainings

• The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School or Technology (MEST) and the MEST incubator program provide training investment and mentoring for aspiring technology entrepreneurs with the goal of creating globally successful companies that create jobs and wealth in Africa.
• Vital Voices Global Partnership is an NGO that identifies, trains, and empowers emerging women leaders and social entrepreneurs across the world.
• Startup Weekend is a global network of passionate leaders and entrepreneurs on a mission to inspire, educate, and empower individuals, teams, and communities.
• Shell LiveWIRE is the flagship enterprise development programme of Shell. The programme strengthens local economies across the globe by promoting entrepreneurship and developing entrepreneurs.