Festival Of The Future: Wema Bank Announces 21 Bright Startups For Hackaholics 7.0 Final Showdown In Lagos

Lagos, Nov. 5, 2026

The stage is set for one of Nigeria’s biggest innovation nights.

Wema Bank has officially announced the 21 most outstanding startups that will battle for top honours at the Hackaholics 7.0 grand finale.

The grand finale, themed Festival of the Future, will hold on Friday, November 6, 2026, in Lagos, and it promises to be more than just a pitch competition. It will be a full celebration of creativity, technology, youth energy and the future of Africa.

From thousands of ideas across Nigeria, only 21 made it to the final stage. These are the young innovators Wema Bank believes can change the game.

Meet The Top 21 Finalists:

Dynalimb, Harthiq, Acceede, Vhorde, URI, Trarrk, SocialSign, RaverPay, All-Arbitrates, CitizensGage, Craft-Planet, FOID, PayByPalm, Niteonn, Nexa-AI, Neural-Forge, MamaAlert, JolliFlow, Becca, CropiQ and Middleman.

Each of these startups survived a tough nationwide journey to get here.

How They Got Here:

Hackaholics 7.0 kicked off on July 1, 2026, and it quickly became a movement.

A total of 5,329 participants registered, submitting 1,632 bold and innovative ideas and solutions.

The Wema Bank team toured seven pitch centres across Nigeria: Uyo, Kano, YabaTech, Benin, Ibadan, Enugu and Lagos.

From that nationwide tour, 59 participants emerged, and after a rigorous multi-stage evaluation, the list was narrowed down to the final 21.

What Is Hackaholics?

Hackaholics is Wema Bank’s flagship youth and startup initiative. It was created to give young Nigerians a real platform to turn technology-driven ideas into practical solutions that solve real-world problems.

Since it launched in 2019, Hackaholics has grown into one of Africa’s biggest innovation platforms:

Over 21,000 applicants
Over 50,000 participants engaged
Over 10,000 startups supported across three countries
Over 100 solutions developed from scratch

It is not just a hackathon. It is a launchpad for the next generation of African tech founders.

Grand Finale Week Activities:

The finale week is packed with three days of learning, networking and competition.

Wednesday, November 4: Pre-Pitch
The finalists presented refined versions of their solutions and received expert feedback to sharpen their pitches.

Thursday, November 5: Ecosystem Tour
Powered by Wema Bank, the finalists visited leading institutions in the tech and innovation ecosystem, met industry professionals and gained practical insights ahead of the final day.

Friday, November 6: Grand Finale
The big day. The Top 21 will pitch live in Lagos before judges, investors, tech leaders and startup founders. Outstanding innovators will be recognised, celebrated and rewarded.

Why It Matters:

Through Hackaholics, Wema Bank continues to show its commitment to Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.

The bank is not just talking about youth empowerment. It is identifying emerging talent, creating real opportunities, funding ideas and helping young innovators build solutions that can compete globally.

Hackaholics 7.0 reinforces Wema Bank’s role as a bank that is building an ecosystem where ideas can thrive and possibilities become reality.

All eyes are now on Lagos as the 21 finalists prepare to showcase the future.

Who will win Hackaholics 7.0? The Festival of the Future will decide.