LAGOS 鈥 The Development Bank of Ni-geria Plc (DBN) has empowered an additional three tech start-ups with N13 million in grants to scale their businesses.
DBN stated that the grant was another significant step to bolster support for the growth of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) within Nigeria鈥檚 inno-vation ecosystem.
A statement by DBN said that the three beneficiaries emerged winners in a competitive idea pitch session that featured seven tech innovators during the fourth edition of its annual flagship tech event, the 2025 DBN Techpreneur Summit 4.0, themed 鈥楥TRL+-SHIFT Tech Empowered Move-ment for Naija,鈥 held in Lagos.
The statement hinted that BuyScrap, an e-waste tech start-up, came first and received the sum of N6 million. QiqiFarms, an agritech start-up, received N4 million for emerging as the first runner-up, while Enugu-based Ecocyclers, a plastic waste-to-resource tech start-up, got N3 million as the second runner-up.
A panel of judges comprising eminent industry leaders and ex-perts judged the winners, DBN said.
Dr. Tony Okpanachi, the Managing Director of DBN, in his welcome address, said the summit was not just an event but a celebration of innovation, collaboration, and the bold spirit of Nigerian entrepreneurship.
Okpanachi emphasized that over the years, the DBN Techpre-neur Summit had evolved into a movement 鈥 a tech-empowered movement for Naija.
He said: 鈥淥ur theme this year, 鈥楥TRL + SHIFT: Tech Empow-ered Movement for Naija,鈥 sym-bolizes more than just a keyboard command. It represents a bold pivot 鈥 a strategic reset, powered by technology, to reimagine and rebuild the future of business in Nigeria. It is a rallying cry for us to take control, initiate a shift, and chart a new course where tech-nology serves as the backbone of inclusive and sustainable growth.鈥