Overall winner, Janet Odey, middle, with other winners
By Akpan David, Calabar
A radiography student at University of Calabar, 23-year-old Janet Odey from Cross River State has won this year’s Nigerian Students Ventures Prize worth N1.5 million.
This has also qualified her to represent Nigeria at next year’s University Startup World Cup in Denmark which grand prize is $15,000.
Aside that, she has also been selected alongside four other best performing to enjoy a postgraduate scholarship.
19 out of 10,000 Nigerian university students all over the country who submitted their creative business ideas to Edugist, the Lagos-based organisers, were finally selected to defend and elaborate on their ideas in Calabar over the weekend.
“I feel really excited to be announced as the winner of this competition.
She pitched her ideas on what she described as Virtual Mart, which is a digital agricultural market for food fit for human consumption.
“What we do is to connect small holders farmers to the ready market, in order to sell their food at a subsidised rate and make quick returns,” she said.
The best four ideas were adjudged by International business experts as saleable and won the Four Million Naira prize.
The second prize of One Million Naira went to Iheanacho Chihazie of Babcock University in Osun State.
Daniel Balmun from National Open University, Jos Study campus, whose idea was on how to ‘borrow light’ got the third prize of Five Hundred Thousand Naira.
The sponsors decided on the spot to create another category called Social Impact for the business idea from Comfort Omiyale of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu–Ode Ogun state, who smiles away with One Million Naira
Two other finalists who won instant contracts from the sponsors were Isaac Ayuba of Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, and Akpainyang Precious Saviour from the University of Calabar.
Consolation prizes of N50,000 went to other finalists.
Principal partner of Edugist, Elvis Boniface expressed gratitude to their sponsors
Africa Plus Partners and V-Bank, University of Sussex, AfriInvest, Windsworth Hostels Calabar and Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria for their involvement.
He assured that as the second edition is better than that of 2019, the third edition next year will be more elaborate.
“We started the Nigerian students venture prize in 2019. We are giving students across the country the opportunity to showcase creativity, innovation and explore ideas. This is the second edition and its being amazing.”
