Bolt, the leading African ride-hailing operator, announces the initiation of its highly anticipated Bolt Den Accelerator Program, a groundbreaking endeavour aimed at fostering entrepreneurial excellence among its drivers.
In a recent virtual induction ceremony held on November 8, 2023, the top 20 finalists were unveiled, marking a significant stride in empowering drivers on their entrepreneurial journey.
The 20 outstanding drivers have been selected to participate in a transformative two-week boot camp phase of Bolt Den. This phase stands as a pivotal platform, nurturing innovative ideas and equipping drivers with essential knowledge across various domains such as business development, financial management, digital marketing, and more.
The drivers were selected from five cities—Abuja, Lagos, Rivers, Kaduna, and Kwara—after undergoing a rigorous selection process starting from the ideation phase. They are now preparing for the upcoming pitch day on November 20, 2023, where they will present their pioneering ideas to a panel of distinguished judges from the technology, banking, and education sectors.
Read also: Bolt Food to exit Nigeria after managing only 5% of market share despite “heavy investments”
About the Bolt Den Pitch Day
The esteemed panel of judges will scrutinise and evaluate the drivers’ ideas, shortlisting the top 10 drivers. These finalists will receive €2,000 in seed funding and gain access to an intensive 6-week business mentorship program—a testament to Bolt’s commitment to fostering innovation and growth among its drivers.
The Bolt Den initiative will culminate in a grand finale on November 21st, featuring an award ceremony and the launch of a groundbreaking study by the Oliver Wyman Mobility Forum on “Shared Mobility’s Global Impact” in Africa and Europe.
Ewoma Jerry-Ogeme, Public Policy Specialist for Bolt, Nigeria, expressed excitement, recognising drivers as the driving force behind the evolution of mobility. “We are excited to witness the evolution of your ideas as you learn, unlearn, and relearn through the process of ideation,” said Jerry-Ogeme.
The shortlisted drivers shared their anticipation for the pitch day, where they would vie for the coveted seed funding of 2000 euros. Paradise Okoronkwo, Programs Manager at The Nest, lauded the drivers for their innovation, determination, and talent, highlighting the transformative journey they are embarking upon.
“This induction ceremony has been both exciting and inspiring and your innovation, determination, and talent have set you apart in this highly competitive process. This is just the beginning of a transformative experience.”
Recall that a few weeks ago, the ride-hailing platform launched an online training program for drivers on its platform. As seen in a statement released to Technext, the development marked the second stage of its Accelerator Program launched in September to stimulate and boost mobility entrepreneurship among drivers.
Describing it as a bespoke online training hub, the company said the training centre will focus on enhancing the business development competencies of its drivers. The online training centre will be run in collaboration with prominent online learning platform Coursera and in-person implementation partner PM4Success.
More on the program
- Pitch Day: November 20, 2023
- Panel of Judges:
- Prof Kemi Ogunyemi – Professor of Business Ethics, Lagos Business School
- Ray Ndinga – Disruptive Technologies & Venture Capital, International Finance Corporation
- Dr Andreas Nienhaus – Partner, Automotive & Mobility Team, Co-Head of Oliver Wyman Mobility Forum
- Kolapo Ogungbile – Vatebra Tech Hub
- Mayowa Owolabi – Paddy Cover
- Hakeem Onasanya – Head Startups, Lagos Innovates
- Yahaya Mohammed – Country Manager, Bolt
Read also: Bolt Nigeria launches online training hub, to train 100 drivers weekly for 3 months
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