Meet the 5 Nigerian Startups Participating in the Harvard Business School Africa Business Club.

The Africa Business Club at Harvard Business School will be hosting its 20th Annual Africa Business Conference in Boston, in March. The competition is designed to showcase the diversity of entrepreneurs making a difference on the continent.

Startups have been picked to participate. Of these startups, 5 are Nigerian. Here is a review of each:

RELEAF

Releaf, is a B2B marketplace/platform that wants to help African businesses prosper by helping them find partners they can trust. The startup has signed up about 1,000 businesses since its public launch in August 2017.

It was founded by 3 Nigerians namely: Isaiah Udotong (Chief Executive Officer), Ikenna Nzewi (chief operating officer), Uzoma Ayogu(chief technical officer). These 3 started working on Releaf three years ago.

Its main priority right now is agriculture because it constitutes about a quarter of Nigeria’s gross domestic product.

TUTERIA

Tuteria is a Nigerian tutoring platform that links qualified tutors to students in their area and within their budget. Founded by Godwin Benson (a former tutor) and Abiola Oyeniyi (one of the top Python developers in Nigeria).

Get the best tutors at #Tuteria to help with any subject, skill or exam! @tuteriacorp https://t.co/Gdq5CyCl51

— Chiamaka (@Chiamaka2303) January 20, 2018

Tuteria helps people connect with qualified tutors in their area to master the subjects, skills and exams that matter to them. It also allows students to book lessons using an upfront online payment system.

The platform won an engineering award given by the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering beating 16 participants to clinch the £25,000 ($32,000) prize money. Tutors are then paid once the lessons have been confirmed, and Tuteria takes 15 to 30% commission for each paid lesson.

https://twitter.com/YouthsofNigeria/status/953389139680026624

The selection of potential tutors is ensured by a verification process that includes an ID and qualifications check along with standard competency tests.

PUBLISEER

Publiseer is a free digital publishing platform for independent Nigerian authors and artist. Co-founded by Chidi and Chika Nwaogu in August 2017, it is an online publishing platform for Nigerian authors and artists living in Nigeria, with the plan for developers still in the works.

It has a mission to promote the creativity of Nigerians to the rest of the world. When a unit of authors/artists work sells, they will get 25% of the selling price, Publiseer gets 25% too, and the stores typically keep the remaining 50%.

Some of its other value propositions include fast-track publishing, providing mock marketing materials for your music and book releases, and dedicated press releases for your products across top relevant websites.

FINT

FINT is a debt financing marketplace matching investors looking for competitive returns with credit-worthy borrowers(individual or business opportunity loans) looking for the most attractive interest rates possible.

Founded by Chiwete John-Njokanma, FINT is a peer-to-peer lending marketplace that provides business owners with access to affordable credit. It helps to connect investors or lenders looking for high returns with credit-worthy borrowers looking for short-term personal loans or business opportunity loans.

Its automated, stress-free, transparent debt financing marketplace ensures that the urgent needs of individuals are met quickly and efficiently. The interest rate on loans varies from 26-38% over the period of 6-18 months.

PREPCLASS

PrepClass is an online academic solution provider/platform that connects tutors and learners. Founded by Chukwuwezam Obanor and Olumide Ogunlana, PrepClass is an online portal for students preparing for standardized tests in Nigeria.

With PrepClass, students pay to take practice tests that prepare them for an online or paper tests. They also use the latest web technologies to ensure that relevant local content such as past questions, past tests, class notes; interactive audio and 2D/3D videos are available to users (high school students, undergraduate students and Job seekers) on demand via their digital devices.

The platform won the 2014 Techcabal Battlefield, getting $10k as a cash reward. And they were also Invited by MIT to showcase Prep class at the MIT Global Startup Lab in Boston USA.