2025 Zenith Tech Fair came alive as founders, innovators, creators, investors, and technology leaders converged for the grand finale of Zecathon 5.0, Zenith Bank’s flagship innovation challenge aimed at identifying and accelerating Africa’s most promising emerging talent. With Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in attendance, the event delivered a powerful display of ingenuity, resilience, and Africa’s growing capacity to build scalable, homegrown solutions.
This year’s edition stood out not only for the strength of ideas on display but also for the depth of interest it attracted from across Africa’s innovation ecosystem. Thousands of applications poured in, showcasing solutions with strong technical foundations and clear market relevance. After a rigorous screening process, a select group of founders and innovators earned the opportunity to pitch their ideas live, reinforcing Zecathon’s reputation as one of the continent’s most credible launchpads for early-stage ventures.
Speaking at the event, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive of Zenith Bank Plc, reaffirmed the bank’s long-standing commitment to empowering the next generation of innovators.
“Zecathon continues to be a platform where bold ideas are transformed into real solutions,” she said. “Our mission is to equip innovators with the tools, resources, and support required to build ventures that solve real problems and drive Africa’s digital and economic growth.”
Her remarks set the tone for a day that celebrated ambition, excellence, and the determination of African builders. Echoing this sentiment, Fikun Aluko, Head of Tech & Entrepreneurship Programs at Beyond Limits Global, noted that expanding Zecathon into a pan-African initiative unlocked an impressive range of talent. “Participants didn’t just pitch concepts; they built prototypes capable of delivering real-world impact,” he said.
A defining highlight of Zecathon 5.0 was the introduction of a dedicated Innovation Hackathon track, which brought together hundreds of developers, designers, and problem-solvers competing for a spot among the Top 25 teams. Those selected advanced into an intense three-day sprint that tested speed, creativity, clarity, and technical excellence. From this process, five exceptional finalists emerged, demonstrating strong execution and a deep understanding of the challenges they aimed to solve.
At the Tech Fair, hackathon finalists presented solutions addressing misinformation, credit scoring, smart lending, identity verification, and other pressing issues affecting millions across the continent. TrustLoop, which focused on seamless digital KYC and liveness verification, claimed the top prize of ₦30 million. The remaining finalists Konfam, The Very Hacked Men, Zenith IntelliScore, and ZeraX each received ₦10 million in recognition of their outstanding work.
The Startup Pitch Competition proved equally compelling, featuring early-stage founders from sectors including fintech, edtech, e-commerce, and healthcare. After a closely contested session before a panel of industry leaders and investment experts, Cubbes, an education technology startup from Nigeria, emerged as the overall winner, securing ₦30 million to advance its mission of transforming learning experiences across Africa. The runners-up Venille, Sowota, Invopay, and Flow each received ₦10 million for their innovation and readiness to scale.
Following the Zenith Tech Fair, all finalists will enter a six-week accelerator programme designed to refine their products, strengthen business models, and prepare their solutions for real-world deployment. Participants will benefit from structured mentorship, technical support, and continued exposure to investors and industry stakeholders, further positioning them for long-term impact.
