Innovative ideas that won All On/NCIC $80,000 start-up grant

Usman Dalhatu, a university student and the CEO of Dalsman Tech developed an innovative solar-powered maishayi kiosk an innovative solution that reduce smoke inhalation and promotes clean cooking in Kaduna.

After a successful application, Usman Dalhatu was accepted into the All On and The Rockefeller Foundation funded Nigeria Climate Innovation Center’s 2021 off-grid energy incubation programme.

During the Nigeria Climate Innovation Center pitch session for the twenty finalists in the 2021 cohort, Dalsman Tech was selected as one of the eight winners of the $10,000 start-up grant. The funds will be used to scale up the production of the solar-powered kiosks for distribution to kiosk franchise owners in Kaduna, Kano, FCT, and Abuja.

“This brilliant innovation is highly scalable and can lead to a much cleaner energy source for tens of thousands of maishayi stands across Nigeria,” Wiebe Boer said in a post. “This is one of many examples of clean energy innovations developed by young Nigerian entrepreneurs that will help drive the country’s energy transition from within.”

Dalhatu was among the eight early-stage clean energy start-ups who emerged successful winners in this year’s edition of the annual Nigeria Climate Innovation Center’s (NCIC) Embryo Incubation Program (EIP), sponsored by the All On Hub the company has announced.

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The winners who emerged after a Demo Day Pitch event were Dalsman Tech, D’Suon Limited, SiriusX Energy, Think Electric, Vectar Energy, WakaGen, YOWIF and Zimaj Craft Enterprise.

The innovation ideas from this year’s cohort include solar-powered cookstove kiosks, cold storage facilities, e-mobility, energy efficiency technologies, biogas production and systems built on IoT technology.

According to the organisers, twenty clean energy start-ups, from over 400 original applications successfully completed a 6-month incubation program run by the NCIC.

Shell-seeded All On, an off-grid energy impact investment firm funded and supported the program through its technical support facility, the Rockefeller Foundation funded All On Hub.

“The businesses have gotten more tangible over the years with more market-ready products and teams,” noted Bankole Oloruntoba, CEO of NCIC. “All this has been made possible with the All On partnership, which has been a strong backbone for NCIC’s incubation success. This year we are adding another 8 ventures to our grantees list which l We are pleased to support the investment pipeline currently building up in the emerging Nigeria Green Economy.”

The ventures presented their ideas during the Pitch Day event held yesterday at the Pan Atlantic University to a diverse, experienced panel of judges.
According to judge Kunle Odebunmi, CEO of AllBase Energy, “Almost all the participants had innovative solutions and ideas that would radicalise Nigeria’s green economy. I’m very proud of what NCIC with All On’s support has achieved with the Embryo Incubation finalists. They are all winners in their own right.”
The participants received training and support in a variety of areas aimed at developing their business knowledge and commercial skillset including strategy and planning, product development, regulatory environment, marketing, finance and fund-raising.

Believe Obafaiye, founder of YOWIF (Young Women in Farming) and one of the $10,000 grant winners, commended the EIP for the breadth of its support. “We look forward to achieving positive impact and our desired goals towards organizational improvement,” she added.

“This year’s cohort of entrepreneurs must be commended,” said Sele Inegbedio, All On Hub Manager,. “These emerging ventures have demonstrated the commitment and enterprise needed to succeed over time, and scale innovations that will extend the delivery of electrification to unserved communities and ultimately, improve livelihoods and local economies.”

The members of the 2021 cohort are: Dalsman Tech, Darlton Consult, Bebeque Limited, D’Suon Limited, Artec-hubs, DiamundGates Ltd, Trekk Scooters, SiriusX Energy, Susten Solutions, Aglobe Development Center, Drift Power, ArleeGreen Renewables, Vdverts, Think Electric Africa, WakaGen, Zimaj Craft Enterprise, Iyfarm, Vectar Energy, Lanray Technical Solutions, and YOWIF.