Markhack 2.0: Aremu, Ozi, Zander Emerge Winners As Top 5 Finalists To Get $50,000usd Seed Capital

Winners of MarkHack 2.0 with the curator of MarkHack and Founder of Eko Innovation Center, GDM Group and Art of Technology Lagos, Victor Afolabi (4th from right) at the grand finale of MarkHack 2.0 in Lagos on Friday

Three months of innovative pitch sessions, workshops, masterclasses and mentorship sessions aimed at helping participants develop skills and provide them with the resources needed to transform their ideas into market-ready products, climaxed with the emergence of Aremu as the winner of MarkHack 2.0.

Aremu, a robo-marketing tool that helps businesses run experiments to improve their product metric and conversion rate, beat nine (9) other startups to clinch the grand prize of $5,000 at the grand finale of the event in Lagos, Nigeria.

Ozi, a web application that helps businesses acquire, engage and manage customer conversions all from one place emerged as the first runner-up, carting away the sum of $3000 while Zander, a web-enabled and user-customized response AI tool for automating social media marketing/management and all brand campaign processes emerged as the second runner-up with a prize of $2000.

Themed ‘Unlocking the Power of the Creative Economy’, with focus areas on Immersive Experience (XR), Content Creation and Robo Marketing, MarkHack 2.0 is the second edition of Nigeria’s first and biggest marketing and media hackathon, MarkHack, curated by GDM Group and Eko Innovation Center. It climaxed on a disruptive note with 10 startups engaging in an innovative pitch contest of ideas before industry experts.

Tosin Adelowo, co-founder of Aremu stated that the win serves as a validation of the enormous potential in Nigeria’s creative sector, and commended Eko Innovation Center for the MarkHack platform. “Indeed, this win is a validation that team Aremu can bring this great idea and vision to life with the potential of becoming a global brand in a few years”, Mr. Adelowo remarked.

He further expressed appreciation to the organizers of MarkHack for creating the platform that provides an opportunity for new ideas to be birthed in the creative space.

Victor Afolabi, the curator of MarkHack and Founder of Eko Innovation Center and Art of Technology Lagos, reiterated his vision for disrupting Nigeria’s creative industry with MarkHack 2.0 by capitalizing on the huge economic potential that abounds in the sector.

“The creative industry drives innovation and growth, which makes it a powerhouse for the Nigerian economy; and MarkHack 2.0 aims to disrupt the creative economy by providing a landing space for marketing and media professionals, tech enthusiasts, creators, innovators and industry leaders to collaborate and explore new and innovative ways to steer us into a future fit creative economy”, Mr. Afolabi stated.

Top 10 finalists and their team members on stage at the grand finale of MarkHack 2.0, organized by Eko Innovation Center, at Oriental Hotel, Lagos on Friday.

With the rise of digital media, social platforms, and the increasing use of technology, the creative industries stand among the most dynamic sectors in the world economy, thereby providing new opportunities for developing countries Like Nigeria to leapfrog into emerging high-growth areas of the world economy.

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The event gathered innovators, techies, entrepreneurs, policymakers, media mavens, marketing professionals and corporate moguls who collaborated to create innovative solutions to real-time marketing and media challenges. It was characterized by igniting imaginations, unleashing tech’s potential, crafting creative marvels, illuminating the media sphere and revolutionizing innovation.

It was an unforgettable evening of discovery, collaboration and boundless excitement. The event’s second edition recorded over 1,365 applications from 92 locations across Europe, Asia and Africa, all of which were judged by 22 industry experts.

The top 5 finalists will undergo a 3-month incubation program at the Eko Innovation Center, and receive a seed capital of $50,000 USD. Mentorship and free working space at the Eko Innovation Center and other consolation prizes also await the other finalists.

 The curator of MarkHack, GDM Group is a leading marketing and media technology company renowned for bespoke service offerings ranging from marketing tech solutions, big data management and 360 integrated marketing services.

With MarkHack 2.0, GDM Group and Eko Innovation Center have yet again reaffirmed their purpose of supporting enterprises by leveraging innovation and technology at the heart of businesses.