Nigerian Youth Showcase AI Innovations at Teesas Startup Spark Mentorship

Young innovators aged seven to 18 received mentorship from Nigerian entrepreneur and investor Iyinoluwa Aboyeji as they prepare for the Teesas Startup Spark 2.0 pitch competition. Aboyeji challenged the participants to refine their business concepts during a session in Lagos, part of Teesas Education's initiative to connect young learners with successful entrepreneurs.

The mentorship session highlighted the participants' focus on technology-driven business ideas. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and mobile applications featured prominently across various projects, including automotive technology, education technology (EdTech), health technology, and fashion technology. The goal is to guide these young minds in transforming their innovative ideas into viable businesses.

Among the notable presentations was an EdTech application developed by 11-year-old Ugobuze Kaitochukwu's team. Designed for underserved communities, the application uses AI to create personalized, offline learning opportunities. Ten-year-old Aloba Oluwatoni Joel's team proposed a self-driving, solar-powered vehicle with adaptive technology, while 16-year-old Destiny Agbodu and her team presented a concept for a 24-hour drive-through café utilizing robots and digital ordering systems.

Following the mentorship, teams are tasked with refining their ideas and submitting video pitches. The competition's grand finale, scheduled for August 29, will see the top three teams from this cohort compete against finalists from the second cohort. Izedonmwen, founder and CEO of Teesas Education, expressed confidence in the program's vision to nurture children who "don't dream, but build," citing the demonstrated creativity as proof of progress.

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Our vision for Teesas Startup Spark is to nurture children who don’t dream, but build. The creativity demonstrated here today proves that we are on the right path.