Disrupt Africa To Launch Deep-Dive Research Publication On Nigerian Startup Ecosystem

Disrupt Africa said it will in the coming month release it’s Nigerian Startup Ecosystem Report 2022, providing readers with a deep dive into the country’s tech startup landscape.

According to the company, it is preparing to release the Nigerian Startup Ecosystem Report 2022, its third country-focused publication after the Egyptian Startup Ecosystem Report released late last year and the South African Startup Ecosystem Report, which came out in June.

Disrupt Africa said it has teamed up with various partners, including Quona Capital, a venture firm focused on fintech that can expand access for underserved customers and small businesses in emerging markets; Sabi, Africa’s leading provider of commercial infrastructure for the distribution of goods and services; and MAX, which is building Africa’s largest mobility-tech platform to achieve the task.

Additional partners are public relations and consultancy company Talking Drum Communications; Newtown Partners, the family office of successful startup entrepreneurs Llew Claasen and Vinny Lingham; Kwik, founded in 2018 to provide groundbreaking online services to African merchants in the fields of delivery, fulfilment and payment; and LipaLater, a leading Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) firm.

The company revealed that the report will be a deep dive into the Nigerian startup scene, utilising its datasets, expertise and networks to document what startups are doing what in the country, who is making and receiving investments, and who is providing ecosystem support. It also includes the full list of startups tracked for the report.

Gabriella Mulligan, Co-founder of Disrupt Africa said: “Nigeria has long been a pioneering startup ecosystem on the African continent, leading the way in various sectors and increasingly becoming a focus for investment. It is high time we dug deeper into its growth, and this report does just that. We hope it serves as a valuable resource for both those already active in Nigeria and those looking to start doing business there soon.”

Tom Jackson, Co-founder of Disrupt Africa said: “It is core to our identity as a company that we offer entrepreneurs – both active and aspiring – access to pivotal information, resources and opportunities with which to take their businesses to scale. The democratisation of data, and the release of detailed industry reports free of charge, is central to that, and with that in mind we hugely appreciate the assistance of all our partners, who are doing their bit to ensure this report reaches as many people as possible.”

Kofoworola Agbaje, Senior Investment Associate at Quona Capital in Lagos said: “As a venture capital firm firmly invested in the success of African startups, Quona is pleased to support Disrupt Africa’s endeavour to make this informative report freely available to the broader ecosystem. Nigeria’s fintech startup scene is responsible for some of the most interesting innovations on the continent, and we’re delighted to help shine a light on its progress.”

Anu Adedoyin Adasolum, CEO of Sabi said: “What we are trying to do at Sabi, is be a platform that is enabling businesses across the value chain, to get to the next level and be more efficient in what they do so that everybody has a better net benefit.”

Adetayo Bamiduro, CEO and Co-founder of MAX noted: “At MAX, we believe that the key to unlocking Africa’s incredible potential is to help people and goods move from point A to point B. Unfortunately, systemic infrastructure and resource challenges mean it is unlikely that it will be governments or large corporations that will solve this challenge. Instead, we believe that the solution lies in empowering entrepreneurs – and that technology platforms like MAX will be vital for doing so. Like MAX, innovative businesses across Nigeria are creating new solutions to some of our continent’s most pressing challenges. It gives us great pleasure to partner with Disrupt Africa to share some of the remarkable progress being made, through the publication of the Nigerian Startup Ecosystem Report 2022.”

Olugbeminiyi Idowu, Managing Director of Talking Drum Communications stated: “We are excited to partner with Disrupt Africa to make this research about Nigeria’s growing startup ecosystem freely available to anyone that wants to explore and take advantage of the opportunities that are emerging. Disrupt Africa has been at the forefront of championing Africa’s emerging startup ecosystem for a while, and we are thrilled to be supporting the team to provide more analysis and insight to drive a progressive narrative about technology and innovation in Africa.”

Llew Claasen, Managing Partner of Newtown Partners added: “Nigeria’s startup ecosystem has grown incredibly quickly over the past five years and holds exciting opportunities for the future. As an active investor in Nigeria, we are eager to see the advancement of the Nigerian tech ecosystem through knowledge-sharing and collaboration between local and international players. We are therefore delighted to support this initiative by Disrupt Africa to make this ecosystem report freely available to all stakeholders.”

Romain Poirot-Lellig, Founder and CEO of Kwik emphasized:  “In a very short time, Disrupt Africa has made itself an indispensable tool for startup founders in Africa. We are very happy to partner with them.”

Eric Muli, CEO LipaLater Group said: “The African startup ecosystem has experienced remarkable growth with impressive achievements. Reliable and informative reports about the ecosystem raise the profile of our sector beyond Africa, and that interest helps to drive investments in productive startups. We are thrilled to partner with Disrupt Africa on the Nigerian Startup Ecosystem Report to drive data and insights on startups and investments in Nigeria, shining the light on Africa’s expanding ecosystem and enabling innovators to do more while indicating to the various ecosystem players better and more innovative ways of supporting local businesses to make strides.”

The Nigerian Startup Ecosystem Report 2022 will be available to all for free, making the data and analysis contained in its pages accessible to those for whom the information is most valuable – entrepreneurs.

Disrupt Africa said the publication, which will be the 18th released by its research arm, will be approximately 60 pages in length and provide a detailed overview of the Nigerian startup ecosystem and its development over the last 5-10 years. It will involve an analysis of what areas startups are active in, a detailed look at funding and M&A trends, and a detailed range of startup support services available to Nigerian entrepreneurs, including hubs, incubators, accelerators, and government, corporate and university initiatives.