ALAT by Wema Bank, one of Nigeria’s top digital banks, has announced a call-for-entries for of its annual hackathon for 2023, the Hackaholics 4.0, tagged ‘Re-imagine’.
This program is focused on exploring the endless possibilities of emerging technologies and is open to every Nigerian youth who is currently working on any kind of solution including non-programmers as well as individuals with no Computer Science degree. In essence, entrepreneurs and innovators with tech-driven or tech-enabled concepts and products that want to expand and quickly scale their companies can apply.
To broaden its impact on societal problems, this year’s Hackaholics edition is expanding its scope to explore various verticals, including Education, Climate, CivicTech, Insurance, GovTech, Health, Gender-Based Violence, Fintech, Financial Inclusion, and Entertainment. ALAT by Wema plans to engage 10,000 tech entrepreneurs, produce 5,000 solutions, create six pitch centers, and have almost one million footfalls during the campaign. The winner of the competition will receive $10,000.
Solomon Ayodele, Head of Innovation, ALAT by Wema, said the vertical expansion is aimed at encouraging young minds to build solutions beyond naira and kobo and solve real-life problems that can provide solutions around civic-tech, around gov-tech, converting gender-based violence, entertainment, and health. “This was the reason why we picked the theme ‘Re-imagine’,” he said.
Interested applicants are required to own an ALAT account and provide a summary of their solution, competitors, target market, and team formation (minimum of three).
Upon registration, individuals will get shortlisted and invited for the incubation session, which is in partnership with some global companies, including powerhouses like Amazon, Microsoft and Endeavour Africa. Some of the benefits for innovators and startup founders who will participate in the live pitches and incubation sessions include grants to build and scale their solutions, support for product and integration, massive visibility to participants’ teams and solutions, access to the community of founders, coaching and mentorship opportunities, and learning from renowned industry experts.
The Hackathon will hold six live pitch centers in Lagos State University, University of Benin, Babcock University, Nile University, Abuja, University of Abuja, and Federal University of Technology, Akure. The grand finale will be held at the University of Lagos. Selected candidates will pitch their ground-breaking ideas to a panel of judges (industry-proven professionals) who will select the top contenders vying for the ₦7 million in cash prizes at the grand finale.
The winner will walk away with a cash prize of ₦3 million, the first runner up with ₦2.5 million, and the second runner up with ₦1.5 million. There is also a cash prize of ₦1 million for the first women-led startup.
ALAT by Wema Bank’s Hackathon program, the Hackaholics, is an excellent opportunity for young Nigerian entrepreneurs and innovators to showcase their skills and compete for significant cash prizes while addressing pressing societal problems. Interested applicants can apply through this link (https://hackaholics.wemabank.com/register)
