Nigerian entrepreneur and investor Iyinoluwa Aboyeji has called on young innovators to sharpen their business concepts as they prepare for the grand finale of the Teesas Startup Spark 2.0 pitch competition—a platform designed for children aged seven to 18 to showcase their entrepreneurial ideas.
Aboyeji offered his guidance during a mentorship session held in Lagos on Wednesday, part of Teesas Education’s broader initiative to connect young learners with accomplished entrepreneurs who can help them transform innovative ideas into viable businesses.
Impressive Ideas on Display
Reacting to the participants’ presentations, Aboyeji described the concepts as “interesting” and expressed enthusiasm about seeing the teams demonstrate their projects during the final pitch.
Most of the participants showcased technology-driven business ideas, with Artificial Intelligence and mobile applications featuring prominently across sectors including automotive technology, education technology, health technology, and fashion technology.
Standout Innovations
One of the standout presentations came from 11-year-old Ugobuze Kaitochukwu, whose team developed an EdTech application designed to provide learning opportunities for children in underserved communities—even without internet access. The application uses AI to generate personalised courses in real time, allowing learners to study at their own pace while offline.
Another impressive innovation came from 10-year-old Aloba Oluwatoni Joel, whose team proposed a self-driving, solar-powered vehicle equipped with adaptive technology and smart sensors.
Also attracting attention was a proposal from 16-year-old Destiny Agbodu and her team for a 24-hour drive-through café that would deploy robots to welcome customers while large digital screens handle food ordering, enabling staff to focus on meal preparation and service.
Path to the Finale
Following the mentorship session, participating teams are expected to refine their ideas and submit video pitches. Judges will shortlist three teams to compete against the top three teams from the second cohort during the Startup Spark 2.0 grand finale on August 29.
A Vision for Young Builders
Speaking on the initiative, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Teesas Education, Izedonmwen, noted that the programme was designed to raise children who not only dream but also build innovative solutions.
“Our vision for Teesas Startup Spark is to nurture children who don’t just dream—they build. The creativity demonstrated here today proves that we are on the right path,” he said.
