The event, now in its second year, was attended by over 300 investors, lenders, mentors and ecosystem stakeholders to engage with founders building and expanding businesses across different sectors.

Pitch Day is the final stage of Cascador’s annual Catalytic Fund programme, through which the organisation provides financing and support to founders who have completed its ScaleUp programme.

Funding is offered through a mix of debt and equity investments, with recipients selected based on business performance, growth potential and expected social impact.

The largest funding allocation went to Agriarche, led by Deina Mayaki, which secured a ₦2.5 billion debt facility. Koolboks, founded by Deborah Gael, received ₦2 billion, while Powerstove, led by Okey Esse, secured ₦1.8 billion.

Other debt recipients included First Electric, which received ₦500 million, and Fortics, which secured ₦200 million. Two companies received equity investments, with Stears obtaining $450,000 and Indigenius AI receiving $250,000.

Speaking after receiving the funding, Mayaki said the support would help boost Agriarche’s expansion plans.

“Cascador’s ScaleUp program built upon my team’s ability to translate learning into action by helping us refine our message and market position, adjust our funding strategy, and adapt without defensiveness. 

“The Catalytic Fund due diligence team assessed Agriarche’s financial strength, resourcefulness, and track record of success, and they rewarded our high-potential for scale and impact today by awarding a new N2.5 billion credit facility to power our growth.”

Cascador founder Dave DeLucia said the programme has now distributed over $9 million to entrepreneurs since Pitch Day was introduced two years ago.

“In just two years, Pitch Day has awarded more than $9 million to growth-stage African founders, helping to build a new generation of entrepreneurs equipped to scale transformative businesses.

“We’re now looking for the next cohort of exceptional founders to join our 2026 ScaleUp program and hope to see them on stage at the next Pitch Day.”

Beyond the investment awards, organisers also recognised outstanding participants. Indigenius AI received the NSIA Prize for Innovation, which came with a $10,000 award, while Koolboks won the judges’ Best Pitch prize and received an additional $10,000.

The event also featured a panel discussion on financing options for growth-stage businesses in Nigeria. Participants included Idris Bello of LoftyInc Capital, Danladi Verheijen of Verod Capital, Darlington Nwankwo of Sterling Bank, Ada Osakwe of Agrolay Ventures and Nuli, and Ijeoma Taylaur of NSIA.

The session examined how businesses can access equity financing, working capital, concessionary debt and other forms of long-term support.

Daniel Ayoade of Verod Capital Management, who served as one of the judges, alongside Iyin Aboyeji of Future Africa and Nneka Eze of Vested World, said his involvement with the programme had shown the importance of preparing founders before funding is provided.

“Two years judging Pitch Day, plus a season as faculty for the Cascador ScaleUp program, taught me something the term sheets never capture: capital readiness, not capital, is what turns funding into scale. 

“The founders on stage today walk away with customer pipelines, team training, mentorship, and bespoke support, the connective tissue that lets them multiply what they raise. This is not an accelerator. It is ecosystem architecture, and these founders are its proof.”

Two previous beneficiaries of the Catalytic Fund also shared updates on their businesses.

Babatunde Akin-Moses, founder of Sycamore, said the support received from Cascador helped strengthen the company ahead of a recent fundraising exercise.

“Truly catalytic capital should create companies that eventually no longer need it: That is what it did for Sycamore. Our recent commercial paper raise was oversubscribed by 230%.”

Drive45 founder Seyi Adefemi said access to both funding and strategic support helped the company move beyond a critical growth stage.

“There are founders across Africa solving real problems and building resilient businesses. What they often lack is the financial and non-financial support to cross the gap between potential and scale. Cascador helped Drive45 cross that gap.”

Since launching in 2019, Cascador says it has supported 70 companies that have collectively raised more than $125 million.

Applications for the next ScaleUp programme are open until June 15 for founders across sub-Saharan Africa seeking funding, mentorship and business support.

Her appointment signals a strategic shift toward strengthening the systems, discipline, and infrastructure required to help growth-stage companies scale sustainably.

Solebo who featured in “Techeconomy’s 100 Women Power List 2026″, is a seasoned investor and ecosystem builder with deep experience across venture capital, startup acceleration, and corporate innovation in Africa.

She previously served as managing director of the ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, where she led investments in and supported high-growth startups across multiple sectors. Across her career, she has built a reputation for translating bold vision into disciplined execution, helping companies move from traction to true scale.

Her appointment marks a critical step in Cascador’s evolution, from a leadership-focused program into a platform designed to systematically scale high-impact companies.

“Oyin is a force multiplier,” said Trish Thomas, CEO of Cascador. “She understands what it takes to build and run organizations that endure. As we expand our focus from developing founders to scaling companies, her operational expertise will be instrumental in helping us deliver on that vision.”

Cascador’s model is grounded in a clear thesis: backing founders who can multiply the value they receive, turning education into execution, and capital into lasting economic and social impact.

Through its ScaleUp Program, Cascador equips growth-stage entrepreneurs with the leadership skills, strategic clarity, and access to catalytic capital required to scale sustainably. The program is designed for founders with proven traction, those capable of absorbing significant investment and deploying it effectively to drive growth, job creation, and long-term resilience.

Solebo’s experience sits squarely at this intersection of leadership, capital, and execution.

“In Africa, we don’t have a shortage of founders, we have a shortage of companies that successfully scale,” said Solebo. “The difference lies in systems, discipline, and the ability to deploy capital effectively. Cascador has built a powerful foundation by investing in people. The opportunity now is to extend that into building stronger companies that can absorb capital, institutionalize operations, and grow sustainably.”

As Chief Operating Officer, Solebo will focus on strengthening Cascador’s operational infrastructure and scaling its platform capabilities.

This includes optimizing program delivery, deepening alumni support, and building systems that enable founders to transition from learning to execution and from execution to scale.

Her role will be particularly critical in advancing Cascador’s ScaleUp Program and Catalytic Fund, which deploys $2–5 million annually in tailored financing to high-performing alumni.

The fund is designed not simply to extend their runway, but to back “resource multipliers”:  ventures that can transform capital into durable financial performance and measurable impact.

Dave DeLucia, founder of Cascador, emphasized the strategic importance of the appointment:

“Cascador has always been about multiplying impact through entrepreneurship. With Oyin, we are strengthening our ability to ensure that the hard work of our team and the deployment of capital ultimately translates into scaled, enduring businesses. She brings the operational discipline and ecosystem insight needed to take us to the next level.”

Solebo also highlighted Cascador’s unique positioning within the African ecosystem. “What makes Cascador different is its focus on multipliers, founders who can take what they learn and amplify it across their companies, teams, and markets,” she said. “If we can consistently support those founders with the right combination of education, networks, and capital, the ripple effects are enormous, more jobs, stronger industries, and a more resilient economy.”

Looking ahead, Solebo aims to position Cascador as a long-term scaling partner for its entrepreneurs.

“We are building more than a program. We are building a platform,” she said. “A platform that identifies high-potential founders, equips them to lead, and then supports them with the financial and non-financial resources required to scale. If we do this well, we won’t just transform individual companies, we’ll shape the future of the African economy.”

Her appointment underscores Cascador’s ambition to become a central engine for entrepreneurial scale in Africa where leadership, capital, and execution come together to unlock lasting impact.