Nigeria is taking a bold investor roadshow to London. On Oct. 9, 2025, at Hilton London Paddington, the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) will present 105 Nigerian Innovations with breakthrough solutions—culled from 3,000+ entries—to a room of global VCs, DFIs, corporates, and policymakers. The NextGen Innovation Challenge Grand Finale, delivered with UKALD London, is designed to convert pitch energy into term sheets, pilots, and export orders.
The Director-General of NBTI, Dr Kazeem Raji made this known during a world press conference on the Grand Finale of NextGen Innovation Challenge 2025 on Thursday in Abuja.
“On Thursday, Oct. 9, in the city of London, 105 of Nigeria’s most outstanding innovators, selected from over 3,000 ground-breaking entries, will converge at the Hilton London Paddington.
“They will pitch revolutionary solutions across HealthTech, AgriTech, FinTech, Clean Energy, Artificial Intelligence and more before an esteemed gathering of global investors, policymakers, and development partners.
“This monumental initiative, powered by NBTI in partnership with UKALD London, signals a new era for Nigeria’s innovation-driven economic transformation and places Nigeria at the forefront of global innovation diplomacy,” Raji said.
According to him, they will showcase a smart wearable Bra-X for early detection of breast cancer, a ventilator capable of supporting six patients simultaneously, AI-controlled drones for precision farming and pest control among other Nigerian Innovations.
“Others are Affordable clean energy solutions for underserved communities, Next-generation FinTech applications for inclusive finance and much more, touching every critical sector of our economy and human development.”
Raji explained that the reason for holding the event in London is because London is a hub of global capital and innovation that provides a platform to connect with global venture capitalists.
The Big Pitch: What’s on Show
- HealthTech:
- Bra-X smart wearable for early breast cancer detection
- Multi-patient ventilator supporting up to six patients simultaneously
- Bra-X smart wearable for early breast cancer detection
- AgriTech:
- AI-controlled drones for precision farming and pest control
- AI-controlled drones for precision farming and pest control
- Clean Energy:
- Affordable solar/mini-grid solutions for underserved communities
- Affordable solar/mini-grid solutions for underserved communities
- FinTech & Digital:
- Next-gen inclusive finance apps, embedded payments, and compliance rails
- Next-gen inclusive finance apps, embedded payments, and compliance rails
- Artificial Intelligence:
- Applied AI for health diagnostics, crop analytics, fraud detection, and city services
- Applied AI for health diagnostics, crop analytics, fraud detection, and city services
Why London? It’s a global capital hub with dense pools of venture money, impact investors, and diaspora capital—ideal for scaling pilots of Nigerian Innovations into commercial rollouts across Africa and beyond.
Programme Highlights (Deal-Flow Targets)
- 105 Founder Pitches: Investor-ready solutions with evidence of traction and clear unit economics.
- Consortium Showcase: Interface Africa, Ogoni Land Renewal, and the $1bn Innovate Africa Israel/BIPVco Solar Project—using a NextGen portfolio company as a scalable model.
- Place Branding: Launch of select Lagos coastal zones as the “World’s Safest Innovation & Leisure Destination.”
- Global Spotlights: SpinLab (Germany), Innovate UK, Zumah FinTech Panel, Commonwealth Roundtable.
- Keynotes & VIPs: Uche Nnaji (Minister, Innovation, Science & Tech), Dr Shambhu Pokharel (CEO, Tesla Group Europe), Victor Kitange (Economic Adviser, Commonwealth), among others.
- Digital Bridge: Launch of the NBTI Global App—a deal gateway linking Nigerian innovators with diaspora markets and international investors.
Investor Lens: Why This Matters
- Problem/solution fit: Pipeline spans essential services—health, food, finance, energy—with paying demand and public-sector co-funding potential.
- Diaspora leverage: London concentrates diaspora capital ready to co-invest in cash-flowing African ventures.
- De-risking & scale: Government-backed incubation + consortium projects create anchor customers (hospitals, states, utilities) that cut time-to-revenue.
- Climate & SDG alignment: Clean energy and agri-efficiency open doors to blended finance and results-based grants.
What Investors Should Ask (and Expect)
- Unit economics: CAC payback, LTV/CAC, gross margin trajectory, and FX resilience.
- Regulatory path: NAFDAC/SON approvals, data-privacy compliance, drone corridors, mini-grid permits.
- Distribution: Hospital MoUs, agri-coops, utility partnerships, telco/API channels.
- Scale funding: Ticket sizes, matching-fund availability, and guarantees from DFIs or state programmes.
What Founders Should Bring to the Table
- Diligence-ready data rooms (financials, IP, regulatory, pilots).
- Signed letters of intent from anchor customers.
- Clear use of proceeds tied to scalable milestones (units deployed, kWh delivered, hectares covered, patients reached).
- Impact metrics—jobs, emissions avoided, inclusion KPIs.
BRANDECONOMY Take
This is more than a demo day; it’s innovation diplomacy with a conversion target—capital in, pilots out. If NBTI’s London showcase lands a handful of institutional anchors and blended-finance stacks, Nigeria can accelerate category leaders in HealthTech, AgriTech, FinTech, and Clean Energy.
Bottom line: Make London the launchpad; make Africa the market. The moment now is to turn visibility into bankable deals—and push Nigerian innovation from pitch decks into contracts, deployments, and exports.
