Nigeria Backs 500+ Tech Startups With $100K Funding

Aspiring entrepreneurs across Nigeria now have a government-backed roadmap to turn their ideas into funded companies. The iDICE Startup Bridge Programme will support more than 500 tech startups nationwide with training, grants, and equity investments designed to move founders from rough sketches to real businesses.

The program opens with two pathways built for different stages of growth. Founders Lab welcomes idea-stage entrepreneurs with early prototypes who need help turning concepts into testable products through a 12-week intensive training program.

Each year, 250 participants receive expert mentoring and business model coaching. The top 100 founders who hit specific milestones earn grants up to 10 million naira (about $6,500) to build their products or launch their ventures.

Growth Lab targets the next stage, working with post-MVP startups that already show traction and revenue potential. Selected companies receive $100,000 in equity investment plus strategic support to scale operations, improve governance, and prepare for institutional investors.

The program goes beyond writing checks. Growth Lab participants get direct connections to institutional investors for follow-on funding, and startups that secure outside investment may qualify for additional match funding to accelerate their growth.

Vice President Kashim Shettima chairs the iDICE Steering Committee, which created the program to unlock jobs and economic opportunity for Nigeria's young population. The initiative runs under the Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises Programme, backed by the Bank of Industry and financed by the African Development Bank, Agence Française de Développement, and the Islamic Development Bank.

The Ripple Effect

This coordinated national effort reaches every corner of Nigeria, from Lagos to remote states that rarely see venture capital. By spreading structured support and early-stage funding across all 36 states plus the Federal Capital Territory, the program creates innovation pipelines where none existed before.

Bank of Industry CEO Olasupo Olusi points to recent success supporting the sector. In 2025, the bank disbursed a record 636 billion naira to Nigerian enterprises, including 43 billion naira specifically to digital and creative projects.

Applications for Founders Lab opened March 16 and close April 20, 2026. Selection follows a merit-based evaluation process with published criteria, ensuring fair access for entrepreneurs regardless of location or connections.

"Founders Lab is a bridge that connects potential to proof, and proof to capital," says Cindy Ezerioha, who heads the program. Each cohort supports 125 aspiring entrepreneurs with clear milestones designed to transform concepts into validated business models.

Nigeria is building the infrastructure to turn its youth population into a generation of successful founders.