Twenty early stage Nigerian founders are set to receive business development support and access to funding under a new programme launched by the Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA) and Cascador, as efforts to close the gap between entrepreneurship training and access to capital gather pace.
The NiYA × Cascador Founders Program, developed in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development (FMYD), will select 20 founders for its pilot cohort, with eight of the top performing participants eligible to receive up to ₦5 million each in non dilutive funding.
Applications for the programme open on August 19 through the NiYA platform.
From Training to Access to Capital
The programme is designed to address a challenge that continues to affect young businesses in Nigeria: having the skills to start a business does not always translate into being investment ready or having access to capital.
Over four weeks, participants will receive training covering:
- Business fundamentals
- Investment readiness
- Pitch preparation
- One on one mentorship
- Practical business development support
The programme will be delivered physically in Abuja, alongside virtual sessions and individual mentorship.
At the end of the programme, the eight highest performing founders will pitch their businesses at a NiYA and FMYD organised Pitch Day.
Beyond the funding, the selected founders will also receive an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution designed to help them better organise and manage their businesses.
Why the Funding Is Different
The ₦5 million funding available to the top eight founders will be non dilutive, meaning recipients will not be required to surrender equity in their businesses in exchange for the capital.
For early stage founders who may not yet have the financial history, collateral or business structures required by traditional lenders and investors, the model offers a different route to accessing growth capital.
“For NiYA, training is only one part of the journey. The real value is in helping young people move from learning to enterprise, from ideas to investable businesses, and from potential to sustainable economic participation,” said Ayodele Olawande, Minister of Youth Development.
“The partnership with Cascador strengthens that pathway by combining business preparation with access to capital, particularly for young founders who may not have the formal structures or financial history that traditional funding often requires.”
How NiYA and Cascador Will Share Responsibilities
Under the partnership, NiYA and FMYD will lead founder sourcing, training and day to day programme delivery.
Cascador will support the development of eligibility criteria, investment readiness training and pitch judging, while providing the funding for the top performing founders.
The collaboration brings together government reach and private sector support, with the programme positioned as a practical pathway for young entrepreneurs moving from business ideas and early operations towards investment readiness.
“NiYA and FMYD have already shown what real commitment to Nigeria’s youth looks like — the platforms, the reach, the ambition to train millions,” said Trish Thomas, CEO of Cascador.
“What we’re building together now is the missing piece, a practical bridge from the ideation stage to real capital readiness. When a Ministry so dedicated to its young people asked Cascador to help build that bridge, it was an easy decision.”
Part of NiYA’s Bigger Youth Empowerment Plan
The pilot programme forms part of NiYA’s ambition to train and empower seven million Nigerian youths within two years.
All 20 founders who complete the programme will retain NiYA alumni status and receive priority consideration for future opportunities offered through the academy.
The initiative also adds to wider government efforts to support entrepreneurship and the digital economy. In November 2025, the government’s Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) programme invested in Ventures Platform’s $64 million first close of its Pan African Fund II.
Cascador’s Growing Founder Pipeline
For Cascador, the programme builds on its existing work with Nigerian entrepreneurs through initiatives such as Cascador ScaleUp, which supports growth stage founders with leadership and strategy development.
Alumni of the ScaleUp programme also gain access to the Cascador Catalytic Fund, which the company says deploys up to $5 million annually through a combination of debt and equity investments.
Since 2019, Cascador says it has supported 70 companies, which have collectively raised more than $125 million.
The NiYA partnership now extends that founder support model to an earlier stage, targeting entrepreneurs who are still building the structures, capabilities and track record needed to attract conventional investment.
The outcome of the pilot could offer a useful test of whether combining government backed entrepreneurship programmes with private sector capital and investment readiness support can create a more effective pathway for Nigeria’s next generation of founders.