Co-Creation Hub and Nokia has organised an Open Pitch session of the second cohort of the Growth Academy accelerator programme aimed at providing intensive hands-on support to help approximately 30 early stage tech start-ups/projects build world class mobile applications for the Nokia platform regionally and globally and to grow their start-ups into high yield businesses.
Growth Academy Program, according to Adetunji Eleso, director, Pre-Incubation & Research, Co-Creation Hub, is a first of its kind business accelerator programme in Nigeria.
Eleso described the session as a great platform to engage with tech-entrepreneurs and find great business investment opportunities and interesting ideas that have good market potential in Nigeria today.
“Growth Academy program is where top developers hone their skills; focus on developing world class solutions relevant for the local market and gain a clear understanding on how to monetize their solutions especially with mobile applications.
“The aim of the programme is to nurture the start of innovative tech ventures that will possibly disrupt the way we live and do business in Nigeria.
“Over the past three months, six teams have undergone hands-on and structured training and mentorship to actualize their ideas with modules around business model development, implementation plan and lean product development coordinated by the Co-Creation Hub. Working with Futurice (a leading global mobile software firm), the teams have enhanced technical expertise around mobile application development and user driven design,” the director, Pre-Incubation & Research, Co-Creation Hub noted.
Some of the apps demonstrated during the session include, iPolice, a mobile and web security tool to help Nigerians get latest security information as well as collaborate with Security; JobsInNigeria, which is mobile app that fetch the latest jobs from the internet and allows you to apply directly through your phone.
Others are CABAN, a mobile application that allows renters and buyers to search for properties in Nigeria and Agents to advertise properties utilizing a cost effective, self-managed platform; GRAID, a tool made for poultry farmers to help with decision-making, analysis and much more to ensure the growth of their farms; Nearest Locator, a mobile application that allows you locate the nearest points of interest and BushParrot, which promises to integrate news, gist and gossips in one place.
Eleso summarized the Six Ventures as made up of six teams in the second cohort of the programme have solutions covering agriculture, real estate, location based services, security, entertainment, human resources.
The Open Pitch session offered opportunity for the all the six teams to present their ventures to potential angel investors, mobile network operators, OEMs and other supporters for feedback and possible support.