The award recognized startups with significant financial and public relations achievements.

The award ceremony, hosted by the Art of Technology Lagos (AoT 4.0) and curated by Eko Innovation Centre, is the first-ever event sponsored by the Lagos State government to recognize tech startups and personalities for their impact and development of the Nigerian technology landscape.

Speaking on the award, Bode Roberts, the Chief Executive Officer of Dataleum, said, “It is a great honour to receive AoT’s StartUp of the Year award. The award affirms the good work the Dataleum team put in to achieve the best possible results.

At Dataleum, upholding the highest service of excellence and impact is what matters the most; and I am grateful for the opportunity to play my part in uplifting the standards of the tech industry.”

In May 2022, Dataleum became the official training partner of the Lagos Innovate Talent Development Program run by the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) in partnership with Honeywell Group to upskill unemployed Nigerians with in-demand tech skills. As a result, 260 beneficiaries got selected from a pool of over 1000 applicants.

The Talent Accelerator company emerged winner of the ‘StartUp Category’ as an organization that has excelled in its efforts to the Nigerian tech ecosystem’s growth. Other nominees in the same category include Vendease and TeamApt.

Together with the Lagos State Government, the economic and technological core of Nigeria, Eko Innovation Centre, one of the leading tech hubs in Nigeria, is organizing the conference.

Eko Innovation Centre is responsible for organizing events such as MarkHack, the Lagos Smart Meter Hackathon, EkoClimathon, and Security hackathon

Talent Acceleration will be the primary emphasis of AOT 4.0, with a ten-year plan developed to increase the talent acceleration pipeline to ensure the sustainability of talent and, hence, the delivery of a Smarter Lagos.

At AOT 4.0, the Tech Ecosystem Award will be presented for the first time to recognize the efforts of individuals, groups, and businesses that have contributed significantly to the expansion and improvement of Nigeria’s technology sector. There were five main categories and twenty minor ones for nominations.

The award nomination voting ended on November 15, 2022, with over twenty thousand (20,000) votes cast across all categories. The winners will be revealed and acknowledged during the Gala and Awards Night, which is slated for December 9th, 2022.

In keeping with this year’s conference theme, the conference committee, led by the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Innovation and Strategy, went on a Hub Tour to educate startup founders on the importance of promoting policies that benefit the ecosystem and to extend an invitation to attend the conference. Co-Creation Hub, Impact Hub, Hub One, and Nest Hub were among the hubs visited

The AOT 4.0 will hold at the Landmark Event Centre in Lagos, Nigeria, on December 8th and 9th, and will feature thirteen (13) plenary speakers, three (3) guest speakers, five (5) keynote speakers, and more than thirty-five thousand (35,000) registered participants from all sectors of the technology industry, including policymakers, enthusiasts, ecosystem players, investors, business founders and executives, venture capital firms, startups, and technology talent.

To be a part of the event, click on the link to register Here

The conference brings together technology industry stakeholders, policymakers, enthusiasts, ecosystem players, investors, business founders and executives, venture capital firms, startups, and technology talents to create policies that will drive the development of a smarter Lagos.

The conference which has had an accumulated number of over 29,000 participants since its inception ranging from startups to investors to tech founders is set to raise the bar for its fourth edition scheduled to hold in December 2022.

AOT 1.0 gave birth to the Lagos Innovation Master Plan – an innovation strategy and tactical plan that sought to transform Lagos into a smart city through technology.

AOT 2.0 saw the launch of Startup Lagos & Eko Opensource, an innovative information portal that sought to deliver critical insights into the technology startup ecosystem and a platform that serves as a bridge for private sector developers to solve governmental technology challenges.

AOT 3.0 engaged founders and policymakers to highlight challenges with attracting funding and create enabling policies to increase the attractiveness of startups to investors. AOT 3.0 also saw over sixty million naira awarded to innovative startups and R&D projects nestled in Lagos Universities.

This year, AOT 4.0 will be focusing on development, retainment, and employability of talent for the future-of-work economy.

The remodeling of our education curriculum in order to change learning paradigms and contribute to policies that foster an enabling environment to produce and retain the talent that will drive the future.

The theme of AOT 4.0 is Talent Acceleration and a Smarter Lagos, and is set for the 8th and 9th of December at the LandMark Event Centre in Lagos.

Participation in AOT Lagos 4.0 is free but you are required to pre-register Here.