DBN Empowers MSME Tech Startups With Capital

Development Bank of Nigeria Plc (DBN) has empowered three tech start-ups with N13 million grants to scale up their businesses.

The beneficiaries emerged winners in a competitive idea pitch session that featured seven tech innovators during the fourth edition of the bank’s annual flagship tech event, the 2025 DBN Techpreneur Summit 4.0, themed “CTRL+SHIFT Tech Empowered Movement for Naija,’’ held on Thursday in Lagos.

BuyScrap, an e-waste tech start-up, came first and got N6 million. QiqiFarms, an agritech start-up, received N4 million for emerging as the first runner-up, while Enugu-based Ecocyclers, a plastic waste-to-resource tech start-up, got N3 million as the second runner-up. A panel of judges comprising eminent industry leaders and experts judged the winners.

Managing director/CEO, Development Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Tony Okpanachi, in his welcome address, said the Summit was not just an event but a celebration of innovation, collaboration, and the bold spirit of Nigerian entrepreneurship, enthusing that over the years, the DBN Techpreneur  Summit has evolved into a movement — a tech-empowered movement for Naija.

“Our theme this year, ‘CTRL + SHIFT: Tech Empowered Movement for Naija, ‘ symbolises more than just a keyboard command. It represents a bold pivot — a strategic reset, powered by technology, to reimagine and rebuild the future of business in Nigeria,” he stated. “It is a rallying cry for us to take control, initiate a shift, and chart a new course where technology serves as the backbone of inclusive and sustainable growth.”

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Dr. Okpanachi reiterated that since 2017, DBN has remained steadfast in its commitment to empowering MSMEs across Nigeria by providing innovative financing models to foster partnerships, build capacity, and now championing tech-driven entrepreneurship, stressing that DBN has also walked this journey with resilience and purpose, while noting that the Techpreneur Summit is a testament to the DBN’s unwavering commitment to MSMEs growth.

The Techpreneur Summit 2025 was keynoted by Solape Akinpelu, co-founder/CEO, HerVest, a fintech company that provides inclusive finance to African women.

Akinpelu, in her keynote presentation, called on the government in Nigeria to increase commitment and investment in technology as the bedrock of national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, as well as the strategy to bridge socio-economic gaps. She reiterated Nigeria’s strategic role to lead the African continent in optimising technology for growth and development.