ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator Concludes Inaugural Program with Demo Day
Techstars, in partnership with Lagos-based innovation program ARM Labs, marked the completion of its inaugural ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator Program with a Demo Day event.
The event was held at the Landmark Event Centre on March 16th in Lagos, Nigeria and attended by both a physical and virtual audience.
The cohort, comprising 10 Nigerian and 2 Kenyan founders across multiple sectors, presented their final pitches to a diverse audience of venture capitalists, Techstars alumni, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders in Africa’s tech ecosystem.
The Demo Day event featured notable keynote speeches from Techstars Managing Director, Oyin Solebo and ARM CEO, Jumoke Ogundare. The program also included a panel discussion with Techstars alumni who shared what they learnt during the program and how that changed the course of their businesses.
“The Techstars program was very instrumental to the growth of my company. As a first-time founder, I had the opportunity to dive into a program that was created specifically for people like me. From building a team to understanding how to pitch to investors and ways to launch a product effectively,” Healthtracka CEO, Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson explained.
Additionally, there was a fireside chat with Ike Eze, the Managing Partner at Beta Ventures, providing further perspectives on the future of technological trends and investments in the ecosystem.
“The tech ecosystem is very entrepreneurial with a deep technical base that is quite difficult to match. Our fund does a lot of work around blockchain and web3, and we’re amazed by the amount of Engineers that are building solutions for clients in countries like Berlin, Ireland, and so on,” said Ike Eze.
According to Ike Eze, some of the pressing issues the cohort has built solutions around are emerging market problems that would be beneficial on a global scale. He also added that following the impressive pitches from the cohort, Beta Ventures will be reaching out to Techstars about investing in a total of 5 startups.
The event concluded with a networking dinner, providing attendees with an opportunity to establish meaningful connections.
After 13 weeks of intensive workshops, masterclasses, and more than a hundred mentor meetings, each founder emerges from a transformative experience that has helped shape their ambitions and sharpen their focus. As a result of their hard work and dedication, they are now many steps closer to achieving their visions.
“These twelve startups have two things in common,” said Jumoka Ogundare. “They are solving major problems we have in Africa, and they have been mentored by the best in the industry.”
Techstars has been a significant presence in Africa for over a decade, and they have invested in more than a hundred founders both on and off the continent. Their partnership with ARM Labs has enabled them to expand their reach and increase their impact, with the shared goal of driving Nigeria’s innovative potential forward.
“The selection of startups for this program is highly impressive, and we are eager to witness the impact they will have on their respective industries. Our mission was to invest in the very best of African pre-seed proptech and fintech startups, and I think we’ve done well,” said Oyin Solebo.
As the first cohort of this program, they have received world-class training and valuable networks which will undoubtedly set them apart from their competitors and pave the way for long-term success.
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