Highlights From The Fourth Edition of The Assembly Hub’s Creative Class Accelerator
The Assembly concludes the fourth edition of its flagship creative enterprise accelerator – The Creative Class at a Pitch Finale event on February 24th.
Supported by Wema Bank and SARA, the 57 entrepreneurs enrolled in the fourth cohort of the programme, received 4 weeks of intensive training including a keynote by Roberta Annan, Founder and Managing Partner of the Impact Fund For African Creatives (IFFAC), masterclasses, business modeling workshops, mentoring and pitch training from a line up of over 20 industry experts in Nigeria and internationally.
Winding down in week 5 with an in-house semi-final pitch competition judged by a panel including mentors Samuel Ade, Founder, Ilana; and Collins Nwosu, Director, P.R.I Global Ventures Limited; Alaezi Akpuru, Founder, Virgioli Fashion (an alumnae of The Creative Class); and Yoanna Okwesa, CEO of The Assembly, 18 Founders on the programme pitched their businesses at the semi-finals where 7 Founders emerged the finalists including Kanyinsola Akinbo, Founder, Kinbo; Mary Elero, Founder, Royal Frocks; Moses Agosu, Founder, MAK; Oghenetejiri Emudainohwo, Founder, Oyoma; Oluwaseye Oladejo, Founder, Scqueeze; Oyinda Ahmed-Salawudeen, Founder, Nya; and Precious Jahdeal Joseph, Founder, Ivory Afrikaan.
In the 6th and final week of the program, the top 7 Founders received mentoring in preparation for the final pitch competitions from Hannah Middleton, the Knowledge Exchange Lead at the Fashion Business School, London College of Fashion, and Wakiuru Njuguna, the Managing Partner of HEVA Fund, a Kenyan based fund that invests in the creative industry in East Africa.
Turning up bright and early at G.A.S. Foundation in Oniru, Lagos for the grand finale and Demo Day of the programme, the 7 finalists were joined by other members of the cohort, some members of the Program’s Faculty, the Judging Panel including Ayodele Olojede, Divisional Head of Retail and SME Banking, Wema Bank; Kari Tukur, Regional Vice President & Head, Customer Solutions, Indian Ocean islands, East and West Africa, Mastercard; Malik Afegbua, CEO, Slickcity Media; and Adeju Thompson, Founder and Creative Director, Lagos Space Programme; and a host of other special guests across the creative ecosystem including the Director General of the Lagos State Office of Transformation, Creativity, and Innovation, Mrs. Toyin Anjous-Ademuyiwa who spoke some words of encouragement to the cohort stating “Your work has the potential to create meaningful change and leave a lasting impact in our society. The competition is an opportunity for you to shine and showcase your unique perspective, talents and artistic expressions.
Reflecting on the 6-week programme, Ms. Yoanna Okwesa, Founder and CEO of The Assembly said “At the end of the day we really want to be able to support entrepreneurs in a very fruitful and sustainable way”. Expressing her gratitude to Wema Bank and SARA, she stated confidently that the Banks’ investment in the entrepreneurs and the creative industries will be fruitful.
Her remark was closely followed by a special address by Mr Tunde Mabawonku, the Executive Director of Finance & Digital Optimization, Wema Bank. Mr. Mabawonku shared the Bank’s commitment to building a lifelong relationship with creative Founders and entrepreneurs through creativity, innovation and empowering the next generation. He said, “our commitment is to support and be with you throughout the journey and lay the seeds and foundation for creativity that will last for the next 8 to 10 decades”.
Given that less than 1% of global fashion investment is directed towards Africa (AFDB 2019), it was encouraging to hear about the launch of the federal government’s $617 million investment in the Digital Economy and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) fund from Mr. Fegho Umunubo, Special Assistant to the President, on Creative and Digital Economy, Office of the Vice President.
Amidst the intense atmosphere of the pitch presentations from the finalists, the judges and participants experienced some excitement as one of the finalists’ shared his product with the judges, Lion’s-Den style, to have a feel for his offering and service delivery. Following stiff competition, Precious Jahdeal Joseph, Founder, Ivory Afrikaan emerged the winner; Oyinda Ahmed-Salawudeen, Founder, Nya emerged 1st Runner Up; and Moses Agosu, Founder, MAK emerged 2nd Runner Up winning cash grant prizes of ₦1,500,000; ₦1,000,000; and ₦500,000 respectively courtesy of Wema Bank. Inspired by the pitch presentations of the finalists and their progress on the programme, an additional donation of ₦1,000,000 was given to the 4 runners up.
Nigeria’s creative industry brims with untapped potential and abundant talent awaiting cultivation, and programmes such as these play a vital role in nurturing and empowering emerging creatives to harness their creativity, develop their skills, and unleash their full potential to build sustainable enterprises, thereby contributing to the growth of the wider ecosystem and the nation’s economy.
The 4th edition of the Creative Class is supported by Wema Bank, SARA, UNCOVER, Reel Fruits, Ventures Platform, Bella Naija, HEVA Fund, and Beard and Butter.
For more info about the programme or sponsorship opportunities please email The Assembly at
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The Assembly is a creative hub and open innovation organization focused on empowering entrepreneurs and creatives from Africa and the diaspora to thrive in the global fashion industry.
