The maiden edition of the Kennedy Okonkwo Programme for Entrepreneurs (KOPE) took place on Monday, 14th October, 2019, at the Atlantic Mall in Chevron Drive.

The initiative which was founded by leading real estate mogul and philanthropist, Dr. Kennedy Okonkwo, seeks to empower tech startups in Nigeria through grants, infrastructural support and operational expertise to help starts ups launch and scale their businesses.

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Following a call for application, which saw over 500 people apply to be part of the KOPETECH pitching competition, 10 startups were shortlisted to pitch their innovative ideas to a panel of credible judges including Dr. Kennedy Okonkwo founder of KOPETECH and Nedcomoaks Group and Dr. Ken Ikpe, Group CEO Insight Redefini Group.

In his opening address, the visionary leader of the program Dr. Kennedy Okonkwo, gave a powerful and impassioned speech about the need to propel Nigerian youths to achieve their fullest potential in order to shape the future of Nigeria and stressed the commitment of KOPETECH to invest N100,000,000 a year in the tech start up scene for the next N5 years to drive growth and innovation in the tech sector.

Swift Medispark, a leader in hospital management and electronic medical records software in Nigeria secured the top prize with a $5000 seed investment into the company. The other innovative winning solutions include Akio Limited, Fluxibie and ALT Consult who all received N1,000,000 grants as well as mentorship and access to the KOPE Co Working Space.

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The program seeks to expand its impact to different parts of the country including Eastern and Northern Nigeria, with the view of building an ecosystem of tech entrepreneurs who will disrupt the tech landscape in Nigeria with the goal of birthing Nigeria’s first unicorn.

Vanguard