Winners from the fifth edition of the Zenith Tech Fair organised by Zenith Bank have been awarded N140m in prizes.
According to a statement from the bank on Sunday, 10 African innovators won the prize, which is meant to scale their transformative solutions after a keenly contested hackathon and pitch session at the event themed “Future Forward 5.0: Tech for Success – Innovate, Adapt, Accelerate”, which was held in Lagos.
The 2025 edition of the Zenith Tech Fair featured an expanded, dual-competition structure that included a high-stakes hackathon for product development and a start-up pitch competition for early-stage ventures and drew participation from thousands of developers, founders, and entrepreneurs across the continent.
The prize money was shared among 10 finalists who emerged from the over 2,000 contestants that took part in the Zecathon. In the hotly contested final, two major winners emerged, each receiving the top prize of N30m. The winner of the hackathon, Trust Loop, clinched first place for its innovative solution that delivers seamless digital KYC and liveness verification. Simultaneously, the winner of the start-up pitch competition, Cubbes Technologies Limited, secured the top spot for its revolutionary AI-powered EdTech platform that enhances learning and career readiness.
The remaining eight finalists across both categories were equally recognised, each receiving N10m in non-dilutive funding. They include Venille Ltd, Sowota, FLOW, InvoPay, Zenith Intelliscore, The Very Hacked Men, Konfam and Zerax. All 10 finalists will also be entitled to a six-week mentorship and incubation programme designed to help them grow and scale effectively, and this will run from December 2025 to February 2026.
The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Plc, Dr Adaora Umeoji, in her welcome address, said, “Our theme this year, ‘Tech for Success: Innovate, Adapt, Accelerate’, is very timely. To appreciate its urgency, it helps to reflect on the speed of human progress. According to the Harvard Business Review, it took humanity millions of years to master fire, yet only 66 years to move from the first powered flight to landing on the moon. The lesson is simple – the next technological breakthrough will not take a lifetime. It will emerge sooner than we expect and could come from any one of you in this room today. We are confident that this Tech Fair will produce innovators who will change the world, and we stand ready to support you to turn your ideas into reality.”
In his goodwill message, the Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, said, “This fifth edition reflects our unwavering commitment to creating value through technology, innovation, and talent development. My vision is to continue to empower the youth through technology, with the hope that one day we will produce the likes of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Jeff Bezos.”
Whilst delivering his goodwill message, the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, called for increased technological empowerment initiatives to provide youths with adequate opportunities needed to thrive in the digital future.
He said, “What I see happening here every year are things that we in leadership need to connect with. This is an activation that can bring life and real conversation to the young, dynamic, innovative, and creative young people that we have in this country. By 2050, half of the youth population in the world will be in Africa, and even in Africa, they will be in Nigeria, and if they are in Nigeria, they will be somewhere in Lagos, and we need to be able to fish them out. We need to give them an opportunity and a space to fly. We want to make Lagos the human capital centre of the world, where Microsoft and Google will think of raising a million tech experts. That’s the kind of vision and opportunity we want to leave behind.”
Hailed as a resounding success by participants, the fair showcased cutting-edge demonstrations on the role of generative AI, agentic AI, and cloud computing in driving economic growth. Another key feature of this year’s tech fair was the robust, exclusive masterclasses delivered by global technology and consulting powerhouses: McKinsey & Company, Huawei, Check Point, and Microsoft. These sessions covered critical topics from cybersecurity to advanced cloud solutions and disruptive technologies, equipping participants with world-class insights.
