Acecore, Supplya and Navidyn are betting Nigeria can build, lend and dive

Acecore, Supplya, and Navidyn emerged as the top three startups at TechCabal Battlefield's Moonshot event in Lagos on October 29. Acecore, a battery manufacturer, won the $10,000 first prize, followed by Supplya, which received $5,000, and Navidyn, which took home $2,500. Both Supplya and Navidyn were awarded spots in Antler’s residency program, providing potential access to $250,000 in pre-seed funding.

Acecore, founded by Caleb Iwuoha in Rivers State, manufactures battery systems for homes and businesses. Their PowerCell stores electricity from the grid or solar panels and provides backup power. Iwuoha claims all components are built locally, undercutting the market by 10% to 20%. The company holds $164,000 in purchase orders and projects revenue of $892,000 for 2026.

Supplya, founded in 2021, serves small retailers by offering a lending platform that attaches credit to inventory, not cash. They have financed over $150,000 of inventory with a 98% repayment rate. The company plans to raise $250,000 in pre-seed funding for expanding its credit pool.

Navidyn, led by mechatronics engineer David Ojabo, developed an underwater robot called Atabot. Rated to 50 meters, it operates for 36 minutes on a single battery charge. Navidyn plans to rent the robot at $4,000 per day and sell it at a higher price.