The Founder Institute (FI), the world’s largest pre-seed startup accelerator, celebrated the graduation of 9 companies from its Abuja Cohort 10, founded by 10 entrepreneurs on February 25, 2026.
Held at the NASENI Innovation Hub in Idu Industrial Area, Abuja, the event ran from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, featuring keynote addresses, founder pitches, alumni induction, and networking.
This marks the 10th cohort for FI Abuja since its launch in 2020, bringing the total number of alumni and portfolio companies to 104.
Founded in Silicon Valley in 2009, FI operates in over 200 cities across 100+ countries, with a network of 40,000+ mentors and investors supporting 8,900+ portfolio companies valued at over $20BN.
The program has helped over 8,900 startups raise more than $2BN in funding, emphasizing structured business-building processes over quick wins.
In Abuja, under the leadership of Managing Director Ajuma Ataguba FIMC, CMC, Director of Partnerships Olusegun Obakeye, Local Leader Vesiri Olu-Odugbemi, and Lead Advisor Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Jnr. (CFA), the chapter focuses on launching resilient SaaS tech startups with guidance from over 200 CEO mentors.
Cohort 10’s rigorous 14-week Core Program combined growth sprints with weekly feedback, divided into Launch, Validation, and Growth Tracks.
Participants tackled vision, customer development, revenue, branding, legal infrastructure, product, hiring, growth, and funding.
The in-person graduation highlighted the program’s impact, with founders sharing stories of balancing intense sessions with jobs, refining ideas through tough feedback, and emerging with viable businesses.
Keynote speakers included Yemi Keri, President of the Africa Business Angel Network (ABAN) and CEO of Heckerbella Limited, who spoke on digital transformation and investment in Africa’s tech ecosystem; Oludare Bodunrin, Health Systems Strengthening expert at the Gates Foundation, focusing on innovative solutions for underserved communities; and Dr. Lanre Phillips, CEO of Elpee Consults Ltd., drawing from his 30+ years in sales, marketing, and edtech to discuss leadership and scaling.
The graduates now join FI’s global alumni network, gaining lifetime access to resources like the FI Venture Network for investor matching, Founder Lab accelerators, $2M in partner deals, office hours, and ongoing support, all free for life.
Here’s a spotlight on the new portfolio companies:
1. KindredNest International, founded by Abimbola Akinjokun: A premium mobile dating platform for serious singles seeking committed relationships.
It enforces intentionality with a one-connection rule and six-stage structure to combat dating fatigue, ghosting, and burnout, while prioritizing safety through ID verification, KYC, and financial checks.
2. PlentyDrop, founded by Chubuike Felix Egbosi: A mobile-first marketplace app where trusted supermarkets and marts list unsold foods, allowing Nigerian families to buy at discounted prices in real time.
PlentyDrop turns potential perishables into revenue for supermarkets and affordable meals for families. It promotes sustainability, and supports circular economy principles.
3. KodeEdu, founded by Emmanuel Abba: Helps African upskillers gain job-ready AI skills for the global digital economy through flexible microlearning and fast human support, so learners don’t just enrol but complete learning and succeed.
4. Haazbridge, founded by Gbadesola Adenrele: An agri-tech startup revolutionizing the dairy supply chain by connecting smallholder farmers directly to processors and bulk buyers.
Through a tech-enabled platform, Haazbridge ensures quality control at the point of collection while leveraging demand planning to align farmer supply with buyer needs.
The result: fair pricing, instant payments, full supply chain transparency, and a dramatic reduction in post-harvest losses.
By empowering farmers and end users with data and market access, Haazbridge is building a more efficient, equitable, and trustworthy dairy ecosystem.
5. AwaVet, founded by Omotola Ishola-Badamasi: An on-demand veterinary telemedicine app, connecting pet owners to vetted veterinarians while aligning with SDGs for economic growth, health, and zoonotic disease control.
6. Brainlyft, a flagship product of Crea8labs Digital founded by Michael Musa, is a quiz-based learning companion designed to help students excel in WAEC, JAMB, and other key examinations.
Through adaptive quizzes, targeted revision drills, and intelligent progress tracking, Brainlyft strengthens understanding, builds lasting confidence, and makes exam preparation engaging, while rewarding users for consistent learning.
7. BurnCost, founded by Lekadi Feboke: A construction e-commerce marketplace that helps Nigeria’s private home builders save 25-45% on procurement costs by enabling direct purchases from trusted wholesalers, flagging inflated quotations, providing real-time pricing, and generating BOQs leveraging AI.
8. ARC (Addiction Recovery Clinic), founded by Dr. Seyi Obembe: A tech-driven platform offering private, anonymous recovery for behavioral addictions (e.g., porn, gambling) and early intervention for drug dependency, using evidence-based therapy, group support, and wearables to reduce rehab needs.
9. MyOpinion, founded by Steve Bah Blesson and Emmanuel Aka: MyOpinion is building a globally oriented social network where creativity, interaction, and entertainment converge.
Designed for the new creative economy, the platform empowers users not only to express themselves and build meaningful communities, but also to monetize their content in a sustainable and authentic way.
Powered by scalable technologies, MyOpinion enables creators to grow, engage audiences, and generate long-term value, shaping a competitive digital ecosystem for the global stage.
These startups span edtech, agritech, healthtech, social networking, and construction, addressing key challenges in Nigeria’s ecosystem. As Ajuma Ataguba emphasized, the cohort exemplifies how structured mentorship turns ideas into impactful, scalable companies.
FI Abuja partners with organizations like NITDA, White Hibiscus Capital, KSH Foundation, Techbuild Africa, Matrix Solicitors, Stanford Seed, Google Cloud, AWS, WeWork, and Techstars to support growth.
With Cohort 11 admissions ongoing (deadline May 3, 2026), aspiring founders can apply here..
