Seven thousand people applied. One hundred and eighty-five were chosen. And Nigeria’s most ambitious startup support programme has officially launched.
The Federal Government’s iDICE Startup Bridge has announced the selection of 185 founders for the inaugural cohort of its Founders Lab programme. The announcement comes after the application portal opened in March 2026 and received over 7,000 completed applications — a figure that instantly demonstrated the scale of entrepreneurial ambition sitting untapped across the country.
What iDICE Is and Why It Matters
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The Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises programme — iDICE — is a $617.7 million federal government initiative financed by the African Development Bank, the French Development Agency, and the Islamic Development Bank. It is implemented through the Bank of Industry and chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The Startup Bridge is iDICE’s early-stage intervention. Through the Founders Lab, selected entrepreneurs receive 12 weeks of intensive training, mentorship, and business validation support. The top 100 participants from each cohort receive grants of up to N10 million. Moreover, a separate Growth Lab track offers equity investment of up to $100,000 for post-MVP startups preparing to scale.
Breaking Geographic Barriers
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One of the most significant aspects of iDICE is its deliberate reach beyond Lagos and Abuja. The programme accepts applications from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. That commitment matters because the overwhelming majority of Nigeria’s startup funding has historically gone to a handful of addresses on Lagos Island.
Consequently, the 7,000 applications received came from across the country — founders in Kano, Enugu, Calabar, Maiduguri, and dozens of other cities who have ideas and talent but have never had a structured pathway to investment. The selection of 185 from that pool is a start, not a ceiling.
The Vice President’s Message
Vice President Shettima described the first cohort as a milestone. “By unlocking the creative and digital potential of our youth, the Federal Government is investing in sectors that will define Nigeria’s future economy,” he said. Applications for the Founders Lab second cohort and the Growth Lab are expected to open around June or July 2026.
Nigeria’s startup ecosystem now sits at the centre of the African tech story. iDICE, if properly executed, could shift that story from one concentrated in a few postcodes to one that reaches every corner of a country with more young, ambitious people than almost anywhere else on earth.
