The South East Development Commission, SEDC, has announced winners of the inaugural South East Venture Capital Programme (SEVCP) Pitch Competition, with 25 startups emerging successful across the incubator and accelerator categories.
The announcement followed the conclusion of the programme’s Finals Day and Investment Ceremony held in Enugu, where startups from sectors including healthcare, artificial intelligence, agriculture, clean energy, fintech, legal technology, logistics, mobility, education technology and public infrastructure innovation competed for selection.
According to the Commission, the programme was structured into two categories: the Incubator Track for early-stage startups requiring foundational business support and the Accelerator Track for more advanced businesses with scalable models and stronger market traction.
Speaking on the initiative, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Mark Okoye, said the agency remained committed to supporting entrepreneurs capable of building businesses that would drive industrialisation, create jobs and attract investment to the South East.
He said, “The South East Venture Capital Program is not merely a startup competition but a long-term economic development strategy designed to unlock the entrepreneurial potential of the region and strengthen the pipeline of investable businesses emerging from the South East.”
Okoye explained that while the accelerator component was initially designed to support 20 startups from an expected 30 finalists, only 15 startups were eventually selected after 25 businesses pitched before the judges.
According to him, the adjustment was necessary “to preserve the competitiveness, quality threshold, and integrity of the selection process while maintaining the originally intended success ratio for the cohort”.
The Commission said the selected startups would receive financial support, investor access, mentorship, technical assistance, business advisory services and post-programme growth opportunities to help them scale sustainably and become investment-ready.
SEDC also reaffirmed its commitment to partnerships with venture capital firms, innovation hubs, development institutions, corporate organisations and academic institutions to deepen entrepreneurship and innovation-driven growth in the region.
The 10 startups selected under the Incubator Track are Health Vault NG Ltd, VIBET BIO, Wattmuse Energy, KoboTrac, Simsak, Growdex, Farmi AI Ltd, CNG Protect, Linia Finance and Keke Ride.
The 15 startups selected under the Accelerator Track are Ondigo Technologies Limited, Skilladder, KIRA AI LIMITED, RapidMedicare Limited, SmartAirs, Bra-X, Stur Africa, Nigenius, SpaceOps, FLOF CO, Case Radar, Smart Transport Grid Ltd (STRAG), 8Bit Digital Systems Limited, CLIMAX GREEN (AGROFUXION) and Afiari.
The Commission described the programme as the beginning of a broader long-term strategy aimed at promoting innovation-led growth, strengthening enterprise development and building a globally competitive South East economy through investment in technology, entrepreneurship and talent.
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