(19659001) Startups On Our Radar highlights African startups that are solving African challenges through innovation. In our previous edition we featured seven game-changing startup pioneering payments, artificial Intelligence, commerce, and mobile. The next dispatch will be on October 10, 2025. This week, we highlight the trailblazing companies that competed at the final round of TechCabal Battlefield Moonshotin
. Let’s look at what made them so special.
Ule Homes is willing to loan you the rent (PropertyTech Nigeria)
The dream of owning a home in Nigeria can be stifled by the requirement of paying one or two years rent up front. This practice can force people to spend their savings or incur high-interest debt to find a home. Ule Homes, founded by Omolade Akinwumi and Azeez Abdulyekeen with Chisom Okorie is a financing firm that aims to make housing more flexible and affordable by dividing lump-sum rent payments in manageable monthly installments.
The company initially operated with a Google Form, an MVP website and is now developing a fully-featured web app to automate its processes. Ule Homes conducts a KYC (Know Your Client) process to assess the financial viability of applicants. This is done by analyzing bank statements and checking credit scores with Nigeria’s main credit bureaus, CRC Credit Bureau, FirstCentral Credit Bureau and CreditRegistry Nigeria, in order to get an accurate picture of credit worthiness. Ule Homes pays directly to the landlord the full amount of rent once approved. This is done to ensure that the funds are only used for housing.
The user authorizes a direct debit mandate from their salary account before the funds are disbursed. This is facilitated by integrations with fintech companies like Mono and Paystack. This system automatically deducts the monthly repayments at a pre-agreed time, which is usually aligned with the date when the user receives his salary. These monthly payments cannot exceed 30% of the borrower’s income. Ule Homes earns revenue from a 2.5% one-time facilitation fee, as well as a monthly interest rate. Ule Homes has seven partners, including traditional and neobanks. This has allowed the company to successfully lower their initial interest rates, from 2.9% per month to as little as 1.7%.
What we’re watching: Ule Homes looks beyond the immediate issue of rent. Its most ambitious product is a mortgage launched in August 2025 that allows customers to buy homes with a payment schedule at an annual interest of 9.75%. This product allows customers to invest their monthly payments in their property. Ule Homes, recognizing that many Nigerians do not have a formal credit record, is developing a system in which timely and consistent rent payments through its platform can positively impact a user’s score. The startup also pursues a unique B2B2C approach by partnering corporations to offer their services as a benefit for employees, tackling housing affordability on an organisational level. Ule Homes has disbursed over N700m ($479,455) of rent financing to 150 customers since August last year. Ule Homes’ model was validated when it won the highly competitive TechCabal battlefield competition at Moonshot.
ResQ X wants to become the all-in one solution for Nigerian drivers (Mobility Nigeria)
Nosa Okors Founded.””http://www.resqx.ng/” ” rel=””noreferrer noopener nofollow”” target=””_blank” “> ResQ-X combines 24/7 roadside assistance with fleet management and on-demand fuel deliveries into a single platform. The startup wants to reduce the downtime and safety concerns drivers have when their cars break. . Users can request assistance through a mobile application or hotline. They can select the service that they need, input their location and receive a transparent and instant price quote before the help arrives. They can also track the location of the dispatched responder.
ResQX claims that the average time from service request to completion is 25 minutes. The startup has a diversified model of business, generating revenue from margins on fuel deliveries (N80-N120 per litre [$0.055-$0.082] ), subscription plans that range from $58 to $125 annually, pay-per use services for non-subscribers requiring rescue services, B2B fleet management services including API integration and a 20% towing partner commission. The company operates exclusively in Lagos and has rescued 752 people since its launch. It has a network consisting of 175 verified responders. ResQ-X claims to have a monthly revenue of $5200.
What we’re watching for: ResQ-X has carved out a unique niche in the market, bundling services which are usually fragmented. Its direct competitors are traditional filling stations and a scattered network independent mechanics who provide repairs. But it stands out because of its integrated, technology-enabled approach. ResQ-X provides a layer of safety and trust through features such as live tracking and OTP validation. The startup plans to build a full-fledged car marketplace, establish insurance partnerships for accident response and develop EV charging infrastructure. It has formed partnerships with Dangote Refinery and Porsche Nigeria. ResQ-X has raised $1.5 million in funding to expand across Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt before 2026.
Sporous Energy aims to refine the way Africa consumes electricity (Energy Nigeria)
Sporous Energy provides reliable and affordable power via AI-enabled community mini-grids. The startup, co-founded by Oluwasomidotun and Omozue Gregert, operates shared solar systems to solve the problem of unreliable power. Customers pay as they go for electricity (N220 [$0.15] ) with smart meters that are integrated into Sporous’s AI platform. This platform intelligently manages energy by predicting usage and tracking consumption patterns. It also collects community data for optimisation of distribution and demand and predicts when energy credits will run out. Its AI-powered platform management has features that stand-alone solar installers can’t match. This allows the startup’s to compete with the most common form of energy backup in Nigeria: generators. Sporous Energy eliminates fueling and maintaining generators.
We’re watching because: Sporous Energy is unique in that it offers a full-stack, comprehensive solution to the problems of power distribution. Nigeria’s national power grid collapsed 12times in 2024, and more than 100 times over 10 years. Sporous Energy provides 24/7 power. The startup has already shown traction with over N34m ($22,000), generated from an earlier model, and a Memorandum Of Understanding signed to deploy its first mini-grid on a major Lagos estate. Sporous Energy has raised $100,000 in equity, and $500,000 for project finance in order to expand into three new community clusters in Lagos.
Trippa Africa is looking to power logistics in Africa (Logistics Nigeria)
Trippa Africa’s automated platform will streamline delivery operations and help African businesses navigate a fragmented logistic landscape. Trippa Africa allows businesses to compare pricing from a network logistics providers, choose the most affordable option and manage the delivery process including booking, tracking and payment from a single dashboard. Businesses can create a free account and enter their pickup and delivery information to instantly receive multiple shipping quotes.
This startup generates revenue through a $1 flat-rate fee for every delivery made by its partners. The startup has more than 45 logistics partners including DHL, Glovo GIG and faramove. The company claims that it has generated over $20,000 of revenue and is currently raising pre-seed funding of $500,000
We’re watching because: Trippa has tackled one of the biggest barriers to SME development in Africa. Studies show that the Middle East and Africa cart abandonment rate is 93% due in large part to the high shipping costs. Trippa Africa’s model presents flexible pricing options for delivery. This model of aggregating the demand gives it an edge over fulfillment startups such as Renda and the logistics arm for services like Bolt and Uber. These offer limited pricing flexibility and can be more expensive when it comes to scheduled or long distance deliveries. Trippa Africa’s platform’s dashboard central, which handles everything, from booking to real-time tracking and payments, is an effective tool for businesses who would otherwise have to manually coordinate with multiple riders and vendor.
Chao is trying to do for African university students what Chowdeck and others aren’t doing (Food delivery, Nigeria).
Chao was founded by Akobundu Gift, Senne Aya Melvin. The platform allows university students to order their food to be delivered directly to campus. The startup was created after observing that students had no easy way to order food from nearby stores. Chao’s app connects users with partner restaurants, pharmacies, and grocery stores. The startup, which is self-funded, generates revenue from delivery fees ranging from N500 to N1000 ($0.34 to $0.68), restaurant commissions and service fees ranging from 5%-10% of cart. It currently operates in communities such as Babcock University and University of Port Harcourt.
What we’re watching: Although Chao has features similar to competitors such as Chowdeck and Glovo the platform differentiates itself by focusing its services on campus communities. This hyperlocal approach allows for a faster, more reliable service as well as helping to build brand loyalty among students. Since its beta launch in January, Chao claims to have processed over 25,000 orders. It also claims to generate over N17 million ($11.643) of revenue.
BuyScrap aims to digitise Nigeria’s electronic waste market. (Cleantech Nigeria)
BuyScrap, founded by Ndaman Josh Olayinka is building the digital infrastructure needed to formalise Nigeria’s informal eWaste industry. BuyScrap manages all aspects of the e-waste industry in Nigeria. It ensures that electronics are recovered, refurbished and put back into use. Its platform connects businesses and individuals who want to dispose of old electronics with a certified recycling network, creating a transparent value chain. Users can schedule pickups through the mobile app. The items are then transported to partner facilities to be wiped, sorted, and processed.
BuyScrap’s circular model ensures functional items (items which can be recycled) will be refurbished and sold while non-functional items will be dismantled to recover raw materials. The platform will also pay a certain amount to businesses or individuals that want to dispose of e-waste based on their type and quantity. The company operates under a B2B2C business model, engaging with consumers directly and offering subscription services for businesses to ensure consistent e-waste disposal and data wiping.
Revenue is generated by the startup through a 20% fee on materials sold to recyclers. It also receives subscription fees from businesses (usually N20,000 [$13.70]) and sells refurbished electronics on its platform.
We’re watching because: The majority of e-waste management in Nigeria is informal. A 2019 report revealed Nigeria generated 461.3-kilo tons (KT) of e-waste, ranking as the second highest eWaste generator on the continent after Egypt. The 461.3kt was equivalent to $166 million or N64.2 billion. BuyScrap, a tech-driven platform, was created to solve this issue by simplifying the collection of e-waste and recycling it. BuyScrap is used by over 800 households and 16 businesses. It has diverted about 20 tons of waste, and partnered with SOSOCARE in Abuja to offer micro health insurance for users in exchange for their electronic scrap (e-waste).
The Expense AI team wants to automate the expense management process with AI-powered scanning of receipts (AI, Nigeria).
Manual expenses management is a time consuming and error-prone task for both individuals and businesses. Data entry errors, lost receipts and unclaimed tax deductions can be caused by tedious data entry. Expense AI was founded by Precious Arikeri and Wahab Baligun to tackle this problem. It is an AI-powered platform that automates the entire expense management process. The system uses AI receipt scanning to capture and categorise costs efficiently. It supports multiple currencies and languages, and can automatically process users’ receipts.
Users can c reate customisable reports, track their income, manage their budgets and have an AI chat assistant. This complete solution helps businesses and individuals make informed financial decisions. Expense AI is a subscription-based service. Weekly plans start at $2.99 and monthly plans start at $8.99. Annual plans are $65.00. Flora is an API solution that Expense AI offers to businesses who want to integrate the technology. The platform has a user base of over 5,000 across 20 countries, and has processed more than 25,000 expenses in 91 currencies. It is expected to generate more than $10,000 revenue by March 2025.
What we’re watching: Expense AI is a competitor to Expensify and QuickBooks, but with a more comprehensive AI native feature set. Its main advantages include a personalised AI Assistant that offers insights and suggestions, the ability of capturing expenses from multiple sources (PDFs, emails, and image files), the ability to record expenses in multiple currencies, as well as multi-language support. Expense AI pursues a dual strategy by offering both a direct to consumer app and a B2B solution. This could position it as a versatile competitor in the financial management sector.
Braudit aims to fix Africa’s broken Performance Management Systems (HRTech, Nigeria).
Founded in 2015 by Emmanuel Kehinde, Kanmi Osho and others, Braudit is a platform for performance intelligence that converts work actions into data-driven insights. The platform integrates into a company workflow, allowing employees manage tasks and projects. It also automatically logs performance data. It solves the problem of employees in Africa not having real-time visibility of their performance by providing a system which connects tasks, KPIs, and goals. Users can manage tasks and projects, while receiving real-time analytics, AI-powered reviews, and provides real-time analytics. Braudit operates on a B2B software-as-a-service (SaaS) model with a pay-per-output system, charging between N150 ($0.098) – N350 ($0.23) for each completed task or generated review, alongside an annual workspace fee of N100,000 ($65.28).
We’re watching because:Braudit positions itself as a critical business infrastructure in Africa. It creates a unique niche in the market, competing with traditional HR tools, project management software, and even informal systems such as spreadsheets. Project management tools tend to focus on tasks only, while Braudit links those tasks directly with performance metrics and strategic objectives. Braudit is different from traditional HR systems because it can automatically capture work actions, and translate them into performance metrics. Its value proposition was backed up by the results of its private beta where a company saw an 82% decrease in missed deadlines, and a 66% rise in productivity after the platform had captured over 8,000 data points.
Alaafia aims to build a trust-based credit system to support Africa’s informal economic sector (Fintech Nigeria)
Alaafia was founded by Samson Oladapo and is a growth oriented microcredit platform. It does so by providing affordable and accessible loans based on a trust-based system rather than the conventional credit check. The platform uses the Triple-Layer Trust model (TLT), which eliminates the need for collateral or credit scores. The first layer is the group. Nano-businesses in clusters are then onboarded, leveraging the existing community relationships. This cluster aims to create a feeling of accountability between members.
The second layer is the Market Leader. This is a respected person in the community who acts as an intermediary and vouch for the character of the group. The final layer is the guarantor. Each borrower must provide a trusted person, such as a family member or friend, who will personally accept responsibility for the loan. This adds a crucial element to the collective trust that has been established by the group leader and the group.
The onboarding process is carried out by clusters, who are then verified through automated voice calls using the user’s preferred languages. There is also an option to escalate assistance to a human agent. Alaafia’s model is based on a daily repayment system into a virtual wallet. The startup makes money by charging a flat monthly interest rate of 3.5%.
We’re watching because: Around 80% of MSMEs in Nigeria are excluded from formal access to credit due to collateral requirements and lenders aversion towards risk. This forces them into a dependency on informal lenders, who often charge high rates of interest. Alaafia’s core innovation is that it rejects traditional credit infrastructure and instead uses a community-centered, trust-based model. By leveraging referrals based on trust for its target market, it builds a system which is culturally resonant within the informal sector. Alaafia is also known for its affordability and simplicity. Alaafia offers a flat rate of 3.5% a month, which is lower than other digital lenders who offer variable interest rates based on the amount borrowed and user data (usually between 2.5%-30%). This removes uncertainty and builds confidence. In a six-month pilot, over $6,000 was disbursed across five zones in Oyo State to 59 businesses. The startup achieved a daily repayment rate of 97% with zero defaults. The startup has a waiting list of over 2,000 micro-businesses.
This is all for today. Our next dispatch will be on October 30th. Do you know a startup that we should feature?Nominate here
