LAGOS, Nigeria, June 4, 2022 – ‘Biodun and Ibikunle Foundation has announced four student entrepreneurs as beneficiaries of its 2022 Campus Kit Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Incubation Program (UEIP). The four beneficiaries are Machoice Integrated Services Limited; the winner who won a 500,000 Naira grant prize, Orgenic Fast Food Tombrown; first runner-up who won a 300,000 naira grant prize, Nisha Culture; second runner-up with a 200,000 naira grant prize and Adecreamz Cakes; who got a consolation prize of 100,000 naira.
The Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Incubation Program was launched early 2022 with a focus on supporting student entrepreneurs with asset grants to boost their businesses. Applications for the program ran from January 24 to February 20, 2022, and over twenty applications were received from student entrepreneurs in public tertiary institutions across Nigeria. Ten businesses were shortlisted for a 6-week incubation program which held between March 5 and April 16, 2022, and covered essential business and digital skills. The incubation program was facilitated by seasoned professionals including Mr Tunde Animashaun ACA ACTI – Managing Consultant, Gratol Professional Services; Mr Chibueze Kings – Creative Lead, Chuugo Creative Company; Mr Vincent Anani – Head, Corporate Communications (Internal), Oxford Holdings; and Mr Habeeb Ajijola – co-founder, Luminous Creatives.
Upon successful completion of the incubation program, seven businesses were shortlisted for a review session from where five finalists emerged. The finalists were afterwards hosted to a breakfast dialogue at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, on May 15, 2022, after which the four beneficiaries were announced on the foundation’s Instagram handle on May 22, 2022.
Oriyomi Adebare-Anthony, President of ‘Biodun and Ibikunle Foundation, said, “We are excited to see young entrepreneurs running amazing businesses as undergraduates and it is our delight to be able to support them. We understand that with the right support these businesses will be part of the conglomerates that will provide solutions to the many challenges that pervade the Nigerian and African economic sphere.” In the same vein, Audrey Odogu, Director of Media and Communications of ‘Biodun and Ibikunle Foundation, said, “For years now we have been supporting MSMEs in Nigeria and to further broaden our impact we decided to extend our reach to tertiary institutions across the country. We are proud of this first cohort of UEIP beneficiaries, and we look forward to doing more to support the entrepreneurial landscape in Africa.”
Speaking about coming out tops in the program, Maryam Atolagbe, founder, Machoice Integrated Services Limited, said, “Thank you for finding me and my brand worthy of this asset grant. I will remember this support and recognition as long as I live. I appreciate all you have done to help entrepreneurs like me who have very few people around them that believe in their professional and business growth. I know I still have much to learn and do, but with your continued support and encouragement I know I can accomplish a greater deal. This is clearly one of the most significant wins of my business career. I sincerely appreciate the board of directors and the management at large and I hope to make the organisation proud very soon.”
About ‘Biodun and Ibikunle Foundation
‘Biodun and Ibikunle Foundation is a non-profit organisation operating out of Lagos, Nigeria. Established in 2019, we work in the areas of entrepreneurship, education and health.
In our three years of operations, we have supported more than 80 businesses through our SEEDINVEST Grant, donated to more than 100 school children via our School Kit Program, provided school fees support to 4 pupils and 7 undergraduates across Nigeria, and provided health care support to over 100 people. We are driven by a philosophy to change the world one business at a time, one child at a time, and one family at a time. Our vision is to engage the entrepreneurial space in Africa and convert potential SMEs into emerging corporates for global influence. For more information on our work, please visit www.biodunandibikunle.org or check our Instagram handle @biodunandibikunle.