Zenith Bank Injects N140m to Tech Through Zecathon 5.0

Zenith Bank has concluded the 2025 edition of its flagship innovation competition, Zecathon 5.0, reinforcing its commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s technology and startup ecosystem with a total prize pool of N140 million.

The finale, held at the Zenith Tech Fair, attracted thousands of applications and drew high-profile dignitaries, including the Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Jim Ovia, CFR, and Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Their presence underscored growing public and private sector interest in harnessing local innovation to drive economic growth.

This year’s edition further cemented Zecathon’s reputation as a leading launchpad for startups, with the strategic introduction of a more rigorous Hackathon track. From hundreds of entries, 20 teams comprising developers and designers were selected to participate in an intensive three-day sprint focused on rapid problem-solving and technical execution across key sectors.

Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, described the initiative as a deliberate investment in Africa’s future. She noted that the bank’s objective is to equip innovators with the tools and support required to develop solutions that address real-world challenges while accelerating digital and economic transformation across the continent.

In the Innovation Hackathon category, TrustLoop, a digital KYC and liveness verification solution, emerged as the overall winner, securing N30 million. Other finalist teams—Konfam, The Very Hacked Men, Zenith IntelliScore, and ZeraX—received N10 million each in recognition of their solutions.

The Startup Pitch Competition showcased early-stage founders in fintech, edtech, and healthcare. Cubbes, an education technology startup, won the top prize of N30 million, while Venille, Sowota, Invopay, and Flow emerged as runners-up, each receiving N10 million.

Commenting on the outcomes, Fikun Aluko, Head of Tech and Entrepreneurship Programs at Beyond Limits Global, said the edition demonstrated the value of platforms that unite visionary institutions with entrepreneurs, adding that the solutions presented have strong potential to advance digital transformation across Africa.