Quick Read:
- iDICE Growth Lab is a 12-week accelerator for post-MVP, tech-enabled startups.
- 12 startups from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones will be selected.
- Winners get $100,000 for 7.5% equity, plus up to $250,000 in follow-on funding.
- Applications close August 19, 2026 via the iDICE Startup Bridge portal.
Nigeria’s tech founders now have a fresh reason to get their pitch decks ready. The iDICE Growth Lab, a new accelerator under the federal government’s Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) Programme, has officially opened applications, dangling funding of up to $350,000 in front of the country’s most promising young startups.
The programme, implemented by the Bank of Industry under the iDICE Startup Bridge initiative, will run for 12 weeks and select just 12 tech-enabled startups drawn from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. It builds directly on the earlier Founders Lab, which supported entrepreneurs still at the idea stage. This time, the iDICE Growth Lab is targeting founders a few steps further along, those who already have a working minimum viable product and can show real traction in the market.
According to National Coordinator Ife Adebayo, startups selected for the accelerator will get more than just cash. They’ll receive structured growth support, investment readiness training, and direct access to industry experts and strategic networks designed to prepare them for serious external investment. On the funding side, the numbers are hard to ignore: successful applicants get an initial $100,000, or its naira equivalent, in exchange for 7.5 per cent equity. Startups that hit specific growth milestones during the programme could then unlock up to $250,000 more in follow-on funding.
To qualify, applicants must be founders of tech-enabled startups that have been running for no more than 12 months and be based somewhere within Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. Adebayo added that eligible startups need to have moved past the MVP stage, with proof of market validation through paying customers, active users, pilot projects, partnerships, or waitlists. Founders will also need to commit to the programme’s hybrid structure, which pairs virtual sessions with two weeks of in-person engagement in Lagos.
Applications opened on July 15, 2026, and will close on August 19, 2026, through the iDICE Startup Bridge portal. Organisers have specifically encouraged female founders to apply, stressing that selection will follow a transparent, merit-based evaluation process.
With Nigeria’s startup ecosystem constantly hunting for structured, credible funding pathways, the iDICE Growth Lab could be one of the more consequential opportunities to watch this quarter, especially for founders who’ve built something real but need the capital and connections to scale it.
