How to Apply as FG Opens Portal for iDICE Startup Bridge Applications, Over $7k Grant Up for Grabs
- Nigeria launches iDICE Startup Bridge to support early-stage entrepreneurs with grants and mentorship
- Founders Lab invites applications for training and funding, enhancing startup viability across all states
- Growth Lab to follow, aimed at scaling startups with early market traction and access to equity investment
Pascal Oparada is a journalist with Legit.ng, covering technology, energy, stocks, investment, and the economy for over a decade.
Nigeria’s federal government has opened applications for the iDICE Startup Bridge programme, a new initiative designed to support early-stage entrepreneurs across the country with grants, mentorship and access to investment capital.
The programme aims to strengthen Nigeria’s growing startup ecosystem by supporting innovators in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, particularly those outside established technology hubs.
Source: Facebook
Under the scheme, idea-stage founders can access grants of up to N10 million (about $7,215), while startups that already have working products and early customer traction may receive up to $100,000 in equity investment to expand their businesses.
Programme targets early-stage innovators
The iDICE Startup Bridge operates under the federal government’s broader Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) programme, an initiative focused on accelerating growth in Nigeria’s digital and creative sectors.
The scheme is implemented by the Bank of Industry and financed through partnerships with international development institutions, including the African Development Bank, Agence Française de Développement and the Islamic Development Bank.
Officials say the programme is designed to broaden Nigeria’s innovation pipeline and encourage entrepreneurship beyond traditional tech centres such as Lagos and Abuja, where most startup funding has historically been concentrated.
By targeting founders across the country, the government hopes to uncover new ideas, support emerging talent and create stronger pathways for startups to attract funding and scale their operations.
Founders Lab opens for applications
The first pathway of the programme, known as the Founders Lab, officially opened for applications on March 16.
It is a 12-week capacity-building programme designed for idea-stage entrepreneurs who want to turn business concepts into viable startups.
Participants will receive structured training, mentorship and practical guidance from experienced facilitators to help them validate ideas, build business models and develop minimum viable products.
Each year, the programme will train about 250 entrepreneurs. After the training phase, the top 100 founders who complete the programme and meet key milestones will receive grants of up to N10 million to support product development or launch their ventures.
Applications for the Founders Lab will close on April 20, and participants will be selected through a merit-based evaluation process aligned with the programme’s criteria.
Growth lab to support scaling startups
A second pathway under the programme, called Growth Lab, will be introduced in a later phase.
Unlike the Founders Lab, which focuses on early-stage ideas, the Growth Lab is designed for startups that already have minimum viable products and have demonstrated early market traction.
Selected startups will receive up to $100,000 in equity investment along with technical support aimed at scaling operations, strengthening corporate governance and refining fundraising strategies.
The programme will also connect participating startups with institutional investors and may provide match funding opportunities for companies that secure additional capital from external investors.
Part of Nigeria’s $617.7m digital economy drive
Launched in 2023 with total funding of $617.7 million, the iDICE initiative represents one of the largest government-backed efforts to stimulate investment in Nigeria’s digital economy.
The programme recorded its first startup investment in late 2025 through Ventures Platform, a seed-stage venture capital firm operating across Africa.
Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, who chairs the iDICE Steering Committee, said the initiative is designed to provide stronger opportunities for entrepreneurs nationwide.
According to him, the programme aims to give young innovators across Nigeria a clear pathway to build sustainable businesses and scale their ideas into viable enterprises.
For the Bank of Industry, the initiative also aligns with its broader financing activities across multiple sectors of the Nigerian economy.
The bank disclosed that it disbursed N636 billion to businesses across different industries in its latest financial year, the highest annual disbursement in its history, per a report by BusinessDay.
Of that amount, N43 billion was directed toward projects in the digital and creative sectors.
Source: Twitter
Olasupo Olusi, managing director and chief executive officer of the bank, said the institution hopes to replicate that level of impact through the iDICE Startup Bridge programme as it continues to support emerging entrepreneurs and innovation across Nigeria.
How to Apply for FG’s N300,000 FarmerMoni
Legit.ng earlier reported that the federal government of Nigeria has opened the GEEP (Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme) FarmerMoni portal for 2025/2026, offering interest-free and collateral-free loans of up to ₦300,000 to smallholder farmers nationwide.
The programme,which was released on the GEEP website, aims to support farmers in procuring seeds, fertilisers, and equipment for the new farming season.
Officials say the scheme is designed to boost agricultural productivity, improve rural incomes and strengthen food security across the country.
Source: Legit.ng
