Emma Okonji

Cascador has awarded the sum of $45,000 to three standout Nigerian businesses delivering transformative solutions in agriculture, health and clean energy at the 2025 NSIA Prize for Innovation (NPI) Pitch Day. 

The winners of Cascador’s Prize for Impact were recognised for their scalable models and measurable impact in underserved communities.

Hosted by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), NPI Demo Day is part of a national initiative that identifies and supports high-potential ventures advancing Nigeria’s economic and social development goals. Ten finalists from across the country presented investment-ready businesses to an audience of investors, stakeholders and innovation partners.

As a partner to NSIA in the third edition of the NSIA Prize for Innovation, Cascador awarded $15,000 each to three of the 10 finalists underscoring a shared commitment to supporting mission-driven entrepreneurship and inclusive growth across Nigeria. These ventures demonstrate how innovation, when rooted in purpose, can drive sustainable impact at scale.

Among the Cascador Impact winners was PromisePoint, a women-led cassava processor that has trained more than 10,000 smallholder farmers and signed a N1 billion contract with Nestlé Nigeria. Speaking about the award, its Founder, Bukola Joy Farinde, said: “Winning the Cascador Prize is not just recognition, it’s validation of our belief that rural women can power Nigeria’s food future.”

Also recognised was FriendnPal, an AI-powered, multilingual mental health platform tackling affordability and access across the continent. Its Founder and CEO, Esther Eruchie, said: “We built our platform to serve people like my mother—Africans who deserve dignified, affordable mental health care. This prize will help us reach more users faster, with deeper impact.”

D-Olivette was the third honoree, for its AI-powered biodigester systems that convert agricultural waste into clean energy and organic fertilizer. Its CEO, Tunde Adeyemi, said: “Nigeria’s waste crisis is actually a clean energy opportunity. This recognition from Cascador will help us scale access to biodigesters and clean power for more farms and rural households.”

Cascador Co-Director, Trish Thomas, said: “These ventures are a blueprint for what’s possible when mission-driven businesses are empowered to scale. They’re building companies that uplift society, empower individuals, and deliver real results on the ground.”

Cascador Executive Director and a judge for NSIA’s NPI 3.0 competition, Chidi Okoro, emphasised that the common thread among the Impact winners was their ability to pair bold innovation with deep social impact. 

“Their work not only solves critical problems, it creates pathways to resilience, inclusion and prosperity. Together, these ventures are reshaping key sectors across Nigeria—creating jobs, delivering essential services and transforming problems into possibility,” Okoro said.

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