Local agritech firm Come Again Foods has emerged as the overall winner of the fourth edition of the NSIA Prize for Innovation (NPI 4.0), taking home $100,000 in cash and equity support.
The announcement was made by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) following the NPI 4.0 Demo Day, themed “Building for Impact.” The event brought together 12 finalists selected from a competitive pool of 6,000 applicants across the country who pitched their solutions to an expert panel of business, investment, and innovation leaders.
This year’s edition focused on startups operating in three vital economic areas: Manufacturing, Climate & Food Security, and Healthcare with the Grand WinnerCome Again Foods, a manufacturing enterprise that processes locally sourced agricultural commodities into packaged snacks going home with $100,000.
Second Place went to Protein Kapital, a company converting organic waste into protein feed and biofertilisers using insect farming. They went away with $70,000. While the third place prize valued at $50,000 went to Instant Rad Inc., an AI-enabled teleradiology platform connecting diagnostic centres and hospitals with radiologists across Africa.
The overall prize pool totaled $275,000, backed by NSIA ($220,000) alongside strategic partners Cascador ($45,000) and Wema Bank ($10,000).
Additional monetary awards were granted to key participants: Eight Medical and Uwana Energy each won $15,000 as Cascador Cash Prize. Sambal Enterprises, Come Again Foods, and Ebees Green also won Cascador Impact Prizes valued at $5,000 for each company.
Four companies, Eight Medical, Smartel Agri Tech, and Tryctor won a combined $20,000 prize from Wema Bank.
In addition to direct cash prizes, NPI 4.0 provides a structured pathway to help participating startups scale. Eligible winners will have access to up to $1.5 million in growth capital through the Pula Xcelerator fund.
Winners will also participate in a fully funded entrepreneurial development programme at the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) in Lagos, receiving training in business strategy, financial management, governance, market expansion, and investor readiness.
Speaking during the Demo day, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Professor Taiwo Oyedele, represented by his Special Adviser on Investments, Marie Ukpere, said small and medium sized enterprises remained critical to Nigeria’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy. He stressed the need for promising businesses to access finance, patient capital, technical expertise and investment networks to scale their operations.
Oyedele challenged the innovators to look beyond the cash awards and focus on building competitive businesses capable of attracting investment, creating thousands of jobs and expanding across Africa.
Beyond the cash awards, eligible winners will have the opportunity to access up to $1.5 million in growth capital through Pula Xcelerator to support business expansion and operational growth.
Also speaking, the National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain, Dr. Abdu Mukhtar, estimated the addressable market across Nigeria’s healthcare value chain at about $20 billion.
He identified opportunities in pharmaceutical manufacturing, medical devices, clinical research, telemedicine, digital health and logistics, urging entrepreneurs to develop commercially viable solutions to address gaps in the sector.
Earlier in his submission, Aminu Umar-Sadiq, Managing Director and CEO of NSIA, emphasised the Authority’s commitment to driving homegrown solutions. He said “The quality of solutions presented at this year’s Demo Day reflects the depth of innovation and entrepreneurial talent across Nigeria. Through the NSIA Prize for Innovation, we are not only recognising promising ideas; we are creating pathways for entrepreneurs to access the capital, capabilities, networks, and partnerships needed to build sustainable, scalable businesses.”
Since its launch, the NPI platform has attracted over 26,000 applications across its four editions, offering funding, mentorship, and capacity-building for startups operating across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
By focusing NPI 4.0 on manufacturing, food security, and healthcare, the NSIA aims to accelerate sustainable economic growth, support job creation, and improve livelihoods across the country.
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