Teesas Summer School: Seven Children Win N1.1m Startup Grants

Seven children who took part in Teesas summer school's startup spark 2.0 competition have won a combined N1.1 million in startup grants. The competition was part of the summer school program, organized by Teesas Education, with Indomie and Tech4Dev providing sponsorship support. The summer school, held from July 20 to August 29, provided children with leadership, entrepreneurship, technology, and creative skills development.

Upon completion of each cohort, the children presented their business ideas through a pitching competition, with the public subsequently voting on their favorites. Obaniefo Okonkwo emerged as the winner of cohort one, while Daniel Chukwuemeka succeeded in cohort two. Both received a diamond grant of N250,000 each.

Kobi Mba and Mojeed Zatu-Nurayn secured the second place in cohorts one and two, respectively, receiving gold grants of N150,000 each. Three other participants - Oluwatoni Oyename in cohort one, and Akinkunmi Awomokun and Nehemiah Layade, who tied in cohort two - received bronze grants of N100,000 each.

The most notable winner was Mojeed, 10, who not only thrived in the programme but also excelled in the Indomie and Tech4Dev-sponsored Indomie and Teesas Education for the future CEO challenge. Zatu-Nurayn proposed a business idea to create robots that assist both young and elderly people in crossing roads. Her pitch impressed a judging panel for its societal relevance and was subjected to public voting.

Speaking at the presentation of her prize, Zatu-Nurayn expressed her gratitude for the recognition, while her father, Hammed Mojeed, praised Teesas Education for providing his daughter with the opportunity to develop her skills and confidence. Gladys Ede Osime, the Teesas Learning Centre Growth Manager, highlighted the children's commitment to developing and promoting their ideas, noting that public participation in the competition exceeded 50,000 votes.

The grants, according to Osime, serve as motivation for the recipients to continue exploring entrepreneurial ideas that bring about positive societal change.