Wema Bank, alongside Nigeria’s first fully digital bank ALAT, has announced the winners of Hackaholics 6.0 at its grand finale held in Lagos over the weekend.

Chao, an innovative engine helping food vendors optimize operations, clinched first place in the Ideathon, winning N25 million. VOC AI, a Voice of Customer SDK converting notifications into real-time feedback, took first place in the Hackathon.

Other winners included:

Ideathon:

• VARSITY SCAPE – Second place (N20 million)
• FARMSLATE – Third place (N15 million)
• SANE AI – Fourth place (N5 million)
• FERTITUDE – Women-Led Category (N5 million)

Hackathon:

• ILLUMITRUST – Second place (N15 million)
• FIX FRAUD AI – Third place (N10 million)
• RAPID DEV – Fourth place (N5 million)

Congratulating the winners, Moruf Oseni, Managing Director/CEO of Wema Bank, emphasized the bank’s commitment to empowering youth through innovation. “Hackaholics goes beyond a competition; it is a platform that nurtures innovators from their undergraduate years. By investing financially and intellectually in youth, especially in STEM education, we are helping to build Africa’s future,” he said.

Oseni highlighted Hackaholics’ growth, noting that over 11,000 high-quality applications were received this year, compared to 2,300 in 2024, and more than 2,000 participants were engaged during regional pitch sessions.

Since its launch in 2019, Hackaholics has disbursed $300,000 in funding to youth and startup innovators across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones, including N75 million to women-led teams in 2023 and 2024 alone. The initiative underscores Wema Bank’s dedication to supporting innovators, promoting inclusion, and driving impact through STEM and technology-based solutions.