The company, which produces packaged snacks using locally sourced agricultural commodities, took the top position at the NPI 4.0 Demo Day held in Abuja under the theme “Building for Impact.”

Protein Kapital, a business that converts organic waste into protein and biofertilisers through insect farming, finished second with a prize package worth $70,000. Instant Rad Inc., an artificial intelligence-powered teleradiology platform linking hospitals and diagnostic centres with radiologists across Africa, placed third with $50,000.

The competition attracted more than 6,000 applications, from which 12 finalists were selected to present their businesses to a panel of experts. The participating companies focused on manufacturing, climate and food security, and healthcare.

The total prize package for the fourth edition was announced at $275,000, comprising $220,000 from NSIA, $45,000 from entrepreneurship development organisation Cascador, and $10,000 from Wema Bank.

Other participating businesses also received awards. Eight Medical and Uwana Energy were named recipients of $15,000 Cascador cash prizes each, while Sambal Enterprises, Come Again Foods and Ebees Green received $5,000 each under the Cascador Impact Awards.

Wema Bank also awarded $4,000 each to Eight Medical, Smartel Agri Tech and Tryctor.

Beyond the immediate prizes, eligible startups have the opportunity to access up to $1.5 million in growth capital through the Pula Xcelerator programme. Winners are also set to benefit from a fully funded entrepreneurial development programme at the Enterprise Development Centre in Lagos, designed to strengthen their business and investment readiness.

NSIA Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Aminu Umar-Sadiq, said the initiative was intended to help promising businesses move beyond innovative ideas by connecting entrepreneurs with funding opportunities, expertise, networks and strategic partnerships.

He said the programme’s expanded support structure reflected NSIA’s commitment to helping Nigerian innovators build sustainable businesses capable of growing, creating jobs and delivering economic and social benefits.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, was represented at the event by his Special Adviser on Investments, Marie Ukpere. She reaffirmed the government’s support for small and medium-sized enterprises, describing them as essential to Nigeria’s economic development.

She said the country’s ambition to build a trillion-dollar economy would depend partly on helping smaller businesses expand into larger, competitive enterprises. She also highlighted initiatives such as the Development Bank of Nigeria, the National Credit Guarantee Company and the iDICE programme as efforts aimed at addressing financing challenges.

Ukpere encouraged the finalists to measure success by the businesses they build after the competition rather than the awards received at the event.

ReelFruit founder and competition judge Affiong Williams also advised entrepreneurs to understand their customers, build credible businesses and demonstrate their ability to attract investors. She noted that customer needs and commercial viability remain important alongside product innovation.

Cascador founder Dave DeLucia, meanwhile, highlighted the importance of investment readiness and called for more support for entrepreneurs operating outside Lagos, where access to investors can be more difficult.

The latest edition builds on the NSIA Prize for Innovation’s earlier rounds, which attracted more than 20,000 applications across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones during the first three editions.

Through funding, training and business development opportunities, the initiative aims to help Nigerian startups strengthen their operations, attract investment and expand their impact across key sectors of the economy.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia