GIG Logistics, Farmcrowdy, Gokada and 23 other Nigerian startups have been nominated for the premier edition of the Techpoint Awards for Nigerian Startup.
The award ceremony is part of the 3-day line-up of activities for Techpoint Build 2020. It is scheduled to hold on Sunday, July 19, 2020.
26 Nigerian startups nominated
The inaugural Techpoint Awards coincides with the company’s 5th year of operation. It is intended to celebrate the most outstanding startups, companies and tech communities that contributed to the startup ecosystem between January 2015 and January 2020.
The preliminary nomination for the Techpoint Awards was opened on the first of January, 2020 and closed on the 29th of February, 2020.
During the nominations, 26 Nigerian startups were screened and shortlisted by an in-house committee and sorted into Award finalist under 3 categories.
The awards are grouped under three categories: Externally Judged, Users’ Choice, and Techpoint Editorial Choice.
Some startups like Paga and OPay which raised over $170 million in funds last year, were nominated for more than one award.
Below is the full list of the startups that were shortlisted under each award category.
Externally Judged Categories
This category of awards was based on preliminary nominations by stakeholders in the Nigerian startup ecosystem. The selected finalist for each award under this category will be judged by an independent team of external judges.
Most Outstanding Electronic Payments Startup – 2015 to 2020
This award category rewards the startups that were most active in making electronic payment easy and hitch-free for Nigerians between January 2015 and January 2020.
Finalists
- Paystack
- Flutterwave
- OPay
- Paga
Most Outstanding Startup Driving Financial Inclusion – 2015 to 2020
This award is for startups that were most active in driving financial inclusion in Nigeria between January 2015 and January 2020, despite the challenges in the Nigerian financial sector.
Finalists
- Paga
- OPay
- Kudi
- Riby Finance
Most Outstanding Logistics Startup – 2015 to 2020
This award category is for startups that were most active in overcoming logistics challenges in Nigeria between January 2015 and January 2020.
Finalists
- MAX Logistics
- GIG Logistics
- Africa Courier Express
- Kobo360
Most Outstanding Mobility Startup – 2015 to 2020
This award category is for startups that were most active in overcoming mobility/transportation challenges in Nigeria between January 2015 and January 2020.
Finalists
- Bolt
- Uber
- MAX Okada
- Gokada
Most Outstanding Agro-crowdfunding Startup – 2015 to 2020
This award category is for startups that were most active in empowering farmers through online crowdfunding in Nigeria between January 2015 and January 2020.
Finalists
- Farmcrowdy
- Thrive Agric
- Agropartnerships
- Payfarmer
Big Tech Company Most Supportive of the Startup Ecosystem – 2015 to 2020
This award category is for big tech companies that were active and had the most far-reaching impact on the local ecosystem between January 2015 and January 2020.
Finalists
- Microsoft
- Mastercard
- Visa
Most Impactful Independent Tech Community – 2015 to 2020
This award category is for independent technology communities (not affiliated with corporates or big tech) that were active between January 2015 and January 2020, and have had the most far-reaching impact on the local ecosystem.
Finalists
- ForLoop Africa
- DigiClan
- Startup South
- Startup Arewa
- Tech Skills Hack
Techpoint Editorial Choice Categories
The awards under these categories will be judged by the Techpoint editorial team, having extensively covered the Nigerian tech startup space over the last five years.
New Startup of the Year – Jan 2019 to Jan 2020 (Techpoint Editorial Choice Award)
This award category is for startups that launched between January 1 and January 30, 2020, with impressive traction and milestones.
Finalists
- 54gene
- Chaka
- PlentyWaka
- uLesson
- Eden Life
Most Active VC – 2015 to 2020 (Techpoint Editorial Choice Award)
This award category is for venture capital firms that are active and have had the most far-reaching impact on the local system within the last five years.
Finalists
- Ventures Platform
- Y Combinator
- CRE Venture Capital
- Omidyar Network
Users’ Choice Award Category
The award is exclusive for users and is completely judged by the audience, and decided solely based on votes.
Best Nigerian App
This award is for a user-favourite app built by Nigerians for Nigerians. This is the only category completely judged by the audience. With voting already closed, the winner will be revealed on Sunday, July 19, 2020, at the award gala night to be held in Lagos.
The top voted apps, in no particular order, are:
- Carbon
- PiggyVest
- Cowrywise
Techpoint Hall of Fame
Apart from the above category of awards, Techpoint will be recognising certain individuals that have had great influence and impact on the growth of the technology startup ecosystem since inception. The individual recognised will be inducted into the Techpoint Hall of Fame.
Individuals to be inducted into the Hall of Fame will be from the following categories:
- Communities & Events
- Incubators & Accelerators
- Infrastructure
- Policy
- Governance
Founded in 2015, Techpoint Africa is a technology media platform that covers the African tech scene.
Technext Newsletter
Get the best of Africa’s daily tech to your inbox – first thing every morning.
Join the community now!
