Team Vhorde Wins 2026 Ecobank InnovateX Hackathon

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

Team Vhorde has emerged as the overall winner of the 2026 Ecobank InnovateX Hackathon, receiving N5 million of the total N22 million distributed in prize money to the finalists.

The group was announced the winner at an event held on Friday, October 30, 2026, in Lagos, which brought together some of Nigeria’s brightest undergraduate innovators.

InnovateX Hackathon is the flagship innovation challenge powered by Blaze by Ecobank in partnership with Heave Ventures and Verve.

E-Nation was the first runner-up and went home with N4 million, and Konvoy was the second runner-up and won N3.5 million. The other top five winners were Kredo and Aselabs.

All 20 finalist teams received cash prizes in recognition of their innovation and outstanding performance.

The grand finale marked the culmination of a rigorous innovation journey that attracted 168 teams comprising 672 students from 90 universities across Nigeria. Following a highly competitive selection process, 20 finalist teams drawn from Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja advanced to the final stage, where they pitched innovative solutions addressing challenges across multiple sectors.

“InnovateX was created to give young Nigerians a platform to transform ideas into practical solutions to real-world challenges across banking, technology, business and society.

“The diversity of ideas emerging in areas such as financial technology, artificial intelligence, sustainability, digital services, education and enterprise solutions demonstrates the breadth of innovation taking place among our young people,” the Executive Director of Commercial and Consumer Banking at Ecobank Nigeria, Mr Kola Adeleke, said.

He stated further that, “Our objective goes beyond identifying winners. We want to help nurture ideas, develop entrepreneurial capabilities and connect promising innovators with the resources, mentorship and networks they need to succeed.”

“At Ecobank, we recognise that young people are not merely the leaders of tomorrow; they are innovators, entrepreneurs and contributors to economic growth today. As a pan-African bank, we believe that digital transformation and innovation are essential to expanding opportunities, improving access to financial services and creating sustainable economic value,” he added.

Also speaking, the Head of Products and Analytics at Ecobank Nigeria, Mr Victor Yalokwu, described InnovateX as an extension of Blaze by Ecobank’s commitment to empowering young Nigerians.

“The InnovateX Hackathon is driven by Blaze, our dedicated youth proposition that serves as a vehicle for young people to express their talents, ideas and abilities to drive economic growth.

“Through Blaze, we continue to create opportunities that empower the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs,” he stated.

Speaking on behalf of the winning team, Mr Henry Uti of Team Vhorde said, “Winning the InnovateX Hackathon is both an honour and a huge motivation for our team. This platform has shown us that young Nigerians have the creativity and capacity to build solutions that can transform industries and improve lives. We are grateful to Ecobank, Blaze, Heave Ventures and Verve for believing in young innovators and providing an opportunity to showcase our ideas.”