(*21*)
Wema Bank, Nigeria’s oldest indigenous financial institution and pioneer of Africa’s first totally digital financial institution, has unveiled the Top 21 finalists for Hackaholics 7.0, who will compete on the grand finale scheduled for Friday, November 6, 2026, in Lagos. Themed Festival of the Future, the grand finale will convey collectively innovators, know-how leaders, startup founders, traders and key gamers in Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem for an immersive celebration of concepts, know-how and the probabilities shaping the longer term.
The Top 21 finalists are: Dynalimb, Harthiq, Acceede, Vhorde, URI, Trarrk, SocialSign, RaverPay, All-Arbitrates, CitizensGage, Craft-Planet, FOID, PayByPalm, Niteonn, Nexa-AI, Neural-Forge, MamaAlert, JolliFlow, Becca, CropiQ and Middleman.
Hackaholics is Wema Bank’s youth and start-up-focused initiative, designed to supply younger innovators with a platform to remodel inventive, technology-driven concepts into sensible options to real-world challenges and achieve a aggressive edge within the world know-how and digital house. Since its launch in 2019, the initiative has recorded over 21,000 candidates, engaged greater than 50,000 contributors, supported over 10,000 startups throughout three international locations and developed greater than 100 options from scratch.
The seventh version, which commenced on July 1, 2026, attracted 5,329 contributors and generated 1,632 progressive concepts and options throughout seven pitch-centre areas: Uyo, Kano, YabaTech, Benin, Ibadan, Enugu and Lagos. Following the nationwide tour, 59 contributors emerged from the varied centres, with the Top 21 chosen by means of a rigorous, multi-stage analysis course of.
The Hackaholics 7.0 grand finale week will characteristic a three-day programme of strategic engagement and innovation-focused actions. On Wednesday, November 4, the finalists will take part within the Pre-Pitch, the place they may current refined variations of their options. This shall be adopted by the Ecosystem Tour on Thursday, November 5, powered by Wema Bank, providing contributors the chance to go to main establishments throughout the know-how and innovation ecosystem, work together with trade professionals and achieve sensible insights forward of the ultimate competitors. The programme will culminate within the grand finale on Friday, November 6, the place excellent innovators shall be recognised and celebrated.
Through Hackaholics, Wema Bank continues to reveal its dedication to advancing Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem by figuring out rising expertise, creating alternatives for younger innovators and supporting the event of options to real-world challenges. The initiative reinforces the Bank’s function in empowering the subsequent era of innovators and constructing an ecosystem the place concepts can thrive and potentialities turn out to be actuality.
