In a year marked by unprecedented challenges and opportunities in Africa’s entrepreneurial landscape, the Cascador 2024 Program has emerged as a beacon of innovation and impact.
This transformative initiative brought together nine remarkable mid-stage entrepreneurs whose ventures are reshaping industries and uplifting communities across Nigeria.
“What sets this cohort apart is their unwavering commitment to business excellence and making a positive impact,” notes Dave DeLucia, Cascador Founder. “These entrepreneurs aren’t just building companies; they’re creating solutions that address critical challenges across Africa.”
From revolutionizing educational access to democratizing financial services for rural communities, the 2024 cohort exemplified the resilient and innovative spirit that defines African entrepreneurship. Through an intensive 10-week program combining in-person education at Lagos Business School, virtual learning sessions, and one-on-one mentorship and advisory support, these visionary leaders have emerged equipped with enhanced capabilities to scale their impact.
Get inspired! Watch our 2024 Cascador Highlights Video
Celebrating Excellence: 2024 Award Recipients
The program’s culmination featured a dynamic pitch competition that showcased the cohort’s remarkable growth and vision. The distinguished panel of judges, including Ada Osakwe and Daniel Adeoye, recognized outstanding achievements across multiple categories:
- Pitch Competition Winner ($20,000 USD): Godwin Benson, Tuteria
For revolutionizing access to quality education through an innovative tutoring platform and curated tutor-student matching that particularly serves children with special learning needs.
“Tuteria’s approach to educational access isn’t just innovative—it’s transformational,” remarked Ada Osakwe, lead judge. “Godwin and his team have created a scalable solution that addresses one of our continent’s most pressing challenges: quality education for all.”
Reflecting on his win, Godwin Benson shared, “Through Cascador, we gained clarity on how to double our revenues in the short term and optimize our team dynamics. The program helped us understand our core strengths, align team roles more effectively, and identify clear growth opportunities. We now have a strong roadmap for scaling our impact.”
- Impact Award ($20,000 USD): Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze, Accountinghub
For transforming digital literacy across Africa through Data-Entry Academy, empowering adults with crucial workplace skills.
“The most valuable part of Cascador for me, was improving the ability to tell my story,” said Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze. “Cascador makes you pitch, rewrite your story, and pitch again. It just helps you better appreciate what you are doing and the impact you’re making in society.”
- Exemplary Cascador Award ($10,000 USD): Oluwaseyi Adefemi, Drive45 Mobility
For outstanding leadership, collaboration, and innovative approach to democratizing vehicle ownership through subscription services.
“Cascador forced me to answer a simple but critical question: who is my primary customer,” reflected Seyi Adefemi. “As soon as I arrived at that epiphany, it changed everything. All of the energy I was expending chasing other things could now be conserved and channeled in the direction of where my customers really are.”
Transformational Impact Across Sectors
“What impressed me most about this cohort was their ability to build businesses to solve big problems that impact real people,” shared Iyin Aboyeji, Faculty Advisor, serial entrepreneur, and Founder of Future Africa. “No valuation games. No building for Silicon Valley. Just true impact. Every entrepreneur displayed servant leadership in building their solutions – each with their own story of strong resolve and sacrifice. All eager to learn. This is my 5th year and every year it gets better.”
The 2024 cohort represented a diverse cross-section of industries vital to Africa’s economic development:
Education & Workforce Development
Logistics & Mobility
Financial Inclusion & Rural Development
- Abiola Jimoh, XchangeBox: Bridging the rural-urban financial divide by connecting traders and farmers with tailored banking solutions
- Amanda Etuk, Messenger: Revolutionizing vehicle financing and providing vital working capital to logistics operators
Healthcare & Essential Services
Program Impact and Growth
Chidi Okoro, Cascador Co-Director and Head of Strategy at Lagos Business School, emphasized the program’s evolution: “Over the past six years, we’ve refined our approach to supporting Nigerian entrepreneurs. This cohort has particularly excelled in leveraging our resources to strengthen their business models, improve their market understanding, and expand their impact.”
The intensive program structure proved particularly effective, as noted by Faculty Advisor Dee Abudu, Founder & CEO at Capricorn Digital (now Onafriq): “The combination of in-person education, advisory services, virtual learning, mentorship, and ongoing support has created a comprehensive development experience that prepares these entrepreneurs for scale.”
Looking Ahead: Cascador 2025
“As we look to 2025, we’re excited to build on the success of this year’s program,” announced Trish Thomas, Co-Director of Cascador. “The achievements of our 2024 cohort have set a new standard for what’s possible when we invest in African entrepreneurship. Expect to see a strong expansion of Cascador’s engagement with and investment in the Nigerian entrepreneurial ecosystem in the near future.”
Applications for the 2025 cohort will open in April 2025. Interested entrepreneurs can learn more and register their interest at www.cascador.org.
About Cascador
The Cascador program stands at the forefront of developing transformational entrepreneurs across Africa. Through a comprehensive 10 week program followed by 6 months of mentoring, Cascador provides mid-stage entrepreneurs with intensive resources, guidance and support to scale their ventures and amplify their social impact. Since its launch in 2019, Cascador has supported 60 entrepreneurs who have collectively raised more than $55M USD and created tens of thousands of jobs across Africa.
“Our vision extends beyond individual success stories or high-growth companies,” concludes Cascador Founder Dave DeLucia. “We’re building a network of transformational leaders who will shape Africa’s economic future. The 2024 cohort exemplifies this vision in action.”
For media inquiries and additional information, please contact:
Amanda Etuk
Program Director, Cascador
[email protected]
+234 2013309272
