D-Olivette Labs has emerged winner of the 2025 Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) Prize for Innovation.
The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), in collaboration with its partners, disbursed $280,000 in funding to six Nigerian startups through the third edition of the NSIA Prize for Innovation (NPI). Held at the grand Demo Day event in Lagos, the competition brought together some of the country’s brightest entrepreneurs, highlighting the rising impact of tech-driven, homegrown solutions across key sectors.
Out of over 5,000 applicants, 10 standout startups were shortlisted to pitch their innovations before a panel of expert judges and a live audience. The top three winners collectively received $220,000 in a mix of equity and cash investments from NSIA. Additional prizes — including the $45,000 Cascador Impact Prize and the $15,000 PVAC Healthcare Innovation Prize — were also awarded, further deepening NSIA’s commitment to supporting high-impact ventures in Nigeria’s evolving innovation landscape.
D-Olivette Labs is a climate tech company developing AI-powered bio-digesters that transform food and farm waste into clean energy and organic fertilizer. The startup secured $100,000 from NSIA and an additional $15,000 from Cascador, bringing its total prize value to $115,000. The judges praised the company’s focus on sustainable energy and circular economy principles.
Second place went to Promise Point, a woman-led cassava processing venture with an automated facility and a value chain involving over 2,000 smallholder farmers. Promise Point earned $70,000 from NSIA and also received a $15,000 Cascador prize, totaling $85,000.
Health tech innovator GeroCare secured third place with a combined prize of $55,000 — including $50,000 from NSIA and a $5,000 PVAC Healthcare Innovation Prize — for its elderly care platform, which seeks to improve dignity and health outcomes for Nigeria’s aging population.
Beyond the top three, NSIA and its partners awarded special recognition to several other startups that are tackling key national challenges:
- Mediverse – Developer of Nigeria’s first Level 2 lab automation platform; winner of a $5,000 PVAC Healthcare Innovation Prize.
- Sosocare – A low-cost health insurance platform targeting underserved communities; recipient of a $5,000 PVAC Prize.
- FriendsnPal – Africa’s first AI-powered mental health platform offering 24/7 anonymous support; winner of a $15,000 Cascador Impact Prize.
In a bid to further develop the capacity of all finalists, NSIA announced that the top 10 startups — including the additional seven labeled as fourth place — would attend a five-week, all-expense-paid training at Draper University in Silicon Valley, one of the world’s leading innovation and entrepreneurship hubs.
Speaking at the event, Aminu Umar-Sadiq, Managing Director and CEO of NSIA, reaffirmed the Authority’s mission to drive sustainable development through strategic investments in innovation.
The NSIA, established under the Nigeria Sovereign Wealth Act of 2011, manages the country’s sovereign wealth fund. Its mandate includes economic stabilization, savings for future generations, and infrastructure development. The NSIA Prize for Innovation is part of a multi-year strategy to catalyze early-stage tech businesses capable of delivering measurable social and economic impact.
