Chioma Ukpabi, founder of Leads SUWK, an edtech venture offering vocational training, has won the second season of the ‘Fund It Forward‘ contest.
The contest, organised by Channels Television, aims to empower young entrepreneurs and promote social development.
The programme’s grand finale was held on Sunday and hosted by Mojibade Sosanya and Kayode Okikiolu, Channels TV presenters.
The organisers, in a statement, described the event as “a night of tension and triumph, inspiration, celebration”.
“This season has showcased the bold resilience and innovative prowess of 12 dynamic entrepreneurs striving to redefine Nigeria’s socio-economic landscape,” the statement reads.
“From sustainable agriculture to cutting-edge technology, our finalists have defied the odds to remain in the running.”
On her part, Zemmy Momoh, the executive producer of the programme, said: “It is designed to help promising social startups by equipping the founders through rigorous training and experiment mentorships.
“We want them to succeed beyond the show. But it is only proper for us to offer such help on the off-spin because of the brilliant groups of experts we managed to assemble. And these people are also passionate young changemakers.”
The finalists Ukpabi, Favour Adeleke, Israel Kehinde, and Amidu Mohammed were tasked with various challenges, including enterprise pitch, supply side validation, product improvement, and branding for seven weeks.
The four young entrepreneurs also participated in two-week masterclass sessions with facilitators, including economic expert Bismack Rewane.
Adeleke, 22, is the CEO of Qiqi Farms, a blockchain-based platform connecting farmers with markets while targeting a zero-waste agricultural ecosystem.
Kehinde, 24, is the founder of an innovative eReading device tackling Africa’s textbook crisis while Mohammed, 25, is the creator of EcoFeet Pro, eco-friendly footwear with health-tracking features, repurposing scrap materials for sustainability.
Ukpabi was announced as the winner on Sunday night. She also received a N30 million grant to promote her company.
Kehinde was named the first runner-up, receiving N15 million, while Mohammed got N10 million as the second runner-up.
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