Victor Afolabi, the curator of MarkHack and Founder of Eko Innovation Center and Art of Technology Lagos, disclosed this at the grand finale of the event in Lagos, Nigeria, where the three months of innovative pitch sessions, workshops, masterclasses and mentorship sessions aimed at helping participants develop skills and provide them with the resources needed to transform their ideas into market-ready products, climaxed with the emergence of Aremu as the winner of MarkHack 2.0.

Mentorship and free working space at the Eko Innovation Center and other consolation prizes also await the other finalists. 

Aremu, a robo-marketing tool that helps businesses run experiments to improve their product metric and conversion rate, beat nine (9) other startups to clinch the grand prize of $5,000 at the grand finale of the event in Lagos, Nigeria.

Ozi, a web application that helps businesses acquire, engage and manage customer conversions all from one place emerged as the first runner-up, carting away the sum of $3000 while Zander, a web-enabled and user-customized response AI tool for automating social media marketing/management and all brand campaign processes emerged as the second runner-up with a prize of $2000.

Tosin Adelowo, co-founder of Aremu stated that the win serves as a validation of the enormous potential in Nigeria’s creative sector, and commended Eko Innovation Center for the MarkHack platform.

“Indeed, this win is a validation that team Aremu can bring this great idea and vision to life with the potential of becoming a global brand in a few years”,

Mr. Adelowo remarked.

He further expressed appreciation to the organizers of MarkHack for creating the platform that provides an opportunity for new ideas to be birthed in the creative space. 

Azeez Adejumo, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ozi.ng, the second prize winner lauded the Eko Innovation Centre for promoting a culture of excellence in the discovery of new talents and ideas that will shape the future.

“Getting into incubator programs has not been easy for us as entrepreneurs in Nigeria; however, MarkHack has set a pace by opening the doors of opportunity for entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas on a level playing field and get mentorship on how to scale their businesses”,  

Adejumo said. 

Themed ‘Unlocking the Power of the Creative Economy’, with focus areas on Immersive Experience (XR), Content Creation and Robo Marketing, MarkHack 2.0 is the second edition of Nigeria’s first and biggest marketing and media hackathon, MarkHack, curated by GDM Group and Eko Innovation Center. It climaxed on a disruptive note with 10 startups engaging in an innovative pitch contest of ideas before industry experts.

The top 10 startups that spiced up the evening with their innovative pitch sessions were Aremu; Ozi; Zander; Weeshr; Markett AI; VirtualX; Contenting; Shopalz; ShopXR and GetSeen.

The event gathered innovators, techies, entrepreneurs, policymakers, media mavens, marketing professionals and corporate moguls who collaborated to create innovative solutions to real-time marketing and media challenges.

It was characterized by igniting imaginations, unleashing tech’s potential, crafting creative marvels, illuminating the media sphere and revolutionizing innovation.

It was an unforgettable evening of discovery, collaboration and boundless excitement. The event’s second edition recorded over 1,365 applications from 92 locations across Europe, Asia and Africa, all of which were judged by 22 industry experts.

GDM Group, the curator of MarkHack is a leading marketing and media technology company renowned for bespoke service offerings ranging from marketing tech solutions, big data management and 360 integrated marketing services.

With MarkHack 2.0, GDM Group and Eko Innovation Center have yet again reaffirmed their purpose of supporting enterprises by leveraging innovation and technology at the heart of businesses.

In its unwavering drive to support the growth and development of marketing and media industries, and inspire the next generation of marketing and media professionals in Nigeria, GDM Group, in partnership with Eko Innovation Centre has flagged off MarkHack 2.0, with the theme ‘Unlocking The Power Of The Creative Economy’.  

MarkHack is Nigeria’s first-ever marketing and media hackathon, and the second edition MarkHack 2.0 will bring together the brightest minds in the creative industry to develop innovative solutions to real-time marketing and media challenges.

Victor Afolabi, CEO and Founder of GDM Group and Eko Innovation Centre and Curator, Art of Technology Lagos restated his commitment to the growth and development of media and marketing industries in Nigeria. According to him, “Marketing is the most effective engine of economic development as it can rapidly develop entrepreneurs and significantly transform the media and marketing industries in Nigeria”.

He further stated that MarkHack was conceptualized to make a difference with the goal of bringing together innovators, entrepreneurs, policymakers, marketing professionals, disruptors and corporate bodies to create solutions to real-life marketing challenges in an intense period of 3 months, using creativity, technology, mentoring, resulting in prototypes, fresh new concepts, and innovative usages of tech for marketing and media.”

Nigeria’s creative industry is the country’s second-largest employer and has the potential to produce 2.7 Million jobs by 2025 with a major contribution from Entertainment, and Media (The lifeblood of Marketing). With this rise of digital media, social platforms, and the increasing use of technology, the creative industries stand among the most dynamic sectors in the world economy providing new opportunities for developing countries Like Nigeria to leapfrog into emerging high-growth areas of the world economy.

Markhack 2.0. will run for 3 months and it features a launch event, pitch sessions, workshops, masterclasses, and mentorship sessions to help participants develop their skills and provide them with the resources they need to turn their ideas into market-ready products. Finalists will have a chance to join an accelerator program with up to $10,000 equity investment and a chance to be mentored by industry experts for 3 months.

Applications are open for innovations in immersive experiences, content marketing, and robo-marketing. With the support of industry experts, investors, and potential partners, participants can turn their ideas into market-ready products and make a real impact on the industry.

To apply, click MarkHack 2.0