Over the past few years, many Nigerian startups have experienced a boom in their different industries. In the midst of this boom, new startups and SMEs in Nigeria are emerging and addressing the needs of Nigerians and the world as a whole.
LifeBank Nigeria
LifeBank is a startup set up for the purpose of saving human lives. This SME in Nigeria was established in 2016 by Temie Giwa-Tubosun. LifeBank saves lives by ensuring blood donations are speedy and delivered with ease to hospitals in need of such donations. With LifeBank, the transmission of blood from labs to various hospitals in several parts of the country is easily facilitated. Medical products delivered include oxygen, blood products, vaccines and also blood. According to the LifeBank website, “LifeBank works with hospitals round the clock to find lifesaving medical products and we deliver to the hospitals in the right condition across Africa.”
Thrive Agric
Thrive Agric is an agricultural based SME driven by technology in Nigeria. It was established in 2016 to provide online crowdfunding for farmers. With the secured fundings, farmers can grow their businesses with ease. It doesn’t end there, they also get linked to profitable markets. Thrive Agric over the years has curbed the importation of food from other countries by helping local farmers improve their farm yield productivity.
Flutterwave
Flutterwave is a financial technology startup, it was established in 2016 when a team of ex-bankers, engineers, and entrepreneurs came together to birth the idea. It was established to provide banks, merchants, and customers with hassle free payment solutions across the country and Africa as a whole. With its headquarter in San Francisco, Flutterwave has various offices situated in Lagos, Accra, Johannesburg, amongst other cities of the world. It provides infrastructures for payments which in return connects Africa globally to other economies.
In their words, “Flutterwave is the easiest way to make and accept payments from customers anywhere in the world.”
Paystack
Paystack is a Nigerian startup established in 2015 by Ezra Olubi and Shola Akinlade. It is a payment platform that enables businesses to receive funds with debit cards, credit cards, transfers, and also mobile money using their mobile apps and websites. With Paystack, payment can be received from anywhere in the world and by anyone. It has gained grounds and also the trust of several businesses across the globe. With a user friendly dashboard, businesses can easily monitor transactions and performance. Paystack is one of the SMEs in Nigeria consistently fulfilling their mission which is “to help businesses in Africa become profitable, envied, and loved.”
Crop2cash
Crop2cash was established to provide digital financial services for farmers while ensuring the financing process is transparent for banks. It was launched in 2018 by a team of three – Seyi Paul, Emem Essien, and Michael Ogundare. With the launch of Crop2cash, agricultural products are supplied to farmers at their best qualities. By enabling smallholder farmers situated in rural areas to receive digital payments, Crop2cash also provides these farmers with the luxury of building their financial identity.
CredPal
CredPal is a fintech startup established by Olorunfemi Jegede and Fehintola Olaogun in 2017. It “connects consumers to lenders willing to finance their purchases while they pay back in fixed monthly installments.” Consumers are granted access to credit once they get to the checkout point after which their monthly installment payment plan begins.
Publiseer
Publiseer was established met the publishing needs of several independent artists and authors across Africa. It was created by twin brothers Chidi Nwaogu and Chika Nwaogu in 2017. Publiseer offers free publishing, designing and technology to artists and authors. In addition to these, the startup gives creators access to professional book and album cover for their works. Since its inception, over 500 artists and authors have benefited from this platform by having their works published and sold home and abroad.
Farmcrowdy
Farmcrowdy is a platform that provides empowerment for both subsistence and commercial farmers. Founded in 2016, they have a vision to encourage Nigerians to grow their food. In achieving this vision, Farmcrowdy focuses on the underutilized lands available in rural communities and grows food crops on them.
With this platform, Nigerians can participate fully in agriculture without having and cultivating a farm of their own. Instead, they connect sponsors and farmers by having the sponsors choose what type of farm they’ll love to invest in. Once the choice has been made, the sponsors then provide funds for the farmers involved to get started.
Festival Coins
Festival Coins was established in 2018 by Folayemi Gusto and Nosa Oregun. It is a technology company centered round events and provides event planners and organizers with necessary tech solutions. These solutions help to cut down on costs while maximizing revenues. Festival Coins creates a greater Return On Investment (ROI) for event sponsors; attendees are not left out as they are also provided with the luxury of richer experiences.
Printivo
Printivo is a printing startup established in 2014 to meet the printing needs of SMEs in Nigeria. As an online printing store, it allows customers to upload all their designs after which results can be printed and shipped to their locations. In addition, Printivo also provides ready-made templates that can be customized by customers to create whatever design of their choice.