MTN Nigeria handed out 5 million naira checks to 20 startups that went through their 12-week cloud accelerator thing, and the telco basically said risk aversion keeps holding back the ecosystem. Chief strategy guy Babalola Oyeleye pushed for more teamwork between development groups and founders since most cash flows into fintechs, while other sectors struggle. Victor Asemota jumped on a video call, saying MTN should buy whole companies through mergers instead of just grabbing products, and he mentioned regulatory red tape as a huge blocker for startups across the continent.
The program threw 100 million naira at companies working on fintech, healthtech, agritech, edtech, and cleantech solutions. Lynda Saint-Nwafor from MTN said African entrepreneurs have the ideas but need better infrastructure and partners to scale globally. Some standout participants were DoktorConnect with preventive healthcare devices, Regxta targeting underserved Africans through AI-powered banking, and Creditchek building fraud prevention tools. The accelerator gives startups access to MTN's APIs, cloud setup, mentorship sessions, and investor pitch chances.
The program threw 100 million naira at companies working on fintech, healthtech, agritech, edtech, and cleantech solutions. Lynda Saint-Nwafor from MTN said African entrepreneurs have the ideas but need better infrastructure and partners to scale globally. Some standout participants were DoktorConnect with preventive healthcare devices, Regxta targeting underserved Africans through AI-powered banking, and Creditchek building fraud prevention tools. The accelerator gives startups access to MTN's APIs, cloud setup, mentorship sessions, and investor pitch chances.
