The cliché, “tech is the future” may seem outdated and be replaced by “tech is now”. The reason behind this is the fact that almost everything we do has now been in sync with tech. Everyone is adopting the etch ways of doing things.

At the tech fair organized by Zenith Bank tagged FUTURE FORWARD 2.0, there are over 100 tech companies – startups and well-established ones dealing in gadgets, finance, health, robotics, agriculture, consultancy and so on.

There was a Hackathon competition organized at the same event, 11 startups made it to the finals from over 500 applications by startups using tech to make life easy.

While the likes of Eduvarsity, Tynu ev, Sanwo, GreenBii, Sonocare, Base, Zion Robotics and iGrow Africa walked away with one million naira each, Finver, Foris Lab and Ecotutu went away with N10m, N15m and N20m respectively.

Ecotutu is out to reduce food wastage by constructing solar-powered and eco-friendly cooling systems (refrigerators) to serve as public storage at open markets and even for personal use. Obviously, 45% of farm produce gets wasted due to a lack of storage facilities and quick transport system’ with Ecotutu’s solar-powered refrigerators and cooling vans, food wastage may be reduced to the barest minimum.

Just like Ecotutu, iGrow Africa also wants to solve food wastage problem but their approach is to create a platform where manufacturers can make direct demands from farmers on what they should grow on their farms as needed for production.

Finver wants to make data and financial solutions accessible even to the pepper seller in the open market. This Artificial intelligence-driven solution is to guide business owners in making investment and financial decisions accessible on any mobile phone.

Eduvacity inspired by the online learning popularized during covid, wants to create a platform for growing talent. They have created courses that can be taken online with certifications, they have gotten affiliation with a Nigerian University. They also created a platform for employers; this means that those who enrolled on Eduvarsity will also get scouted by prospective employers subscribed to the platform.

Coming from the experience of a failed education system, Foris Lab has come up with a gamified virtual laboratory where students can perform experiments on a subject of their choice virtually. Another advantage of the app is that it works offline and eliminates the possibility of hazards that may occur while using chemicals in a physical lab.

Zion Robotics wants to make learning robotics easier for kids and even instructors by providing online curriculums, teaching aides and also platform for kids to learn.

Base is creating a workspace where workers can access from anywhere to meet up their daily KPIs without having to face the stress of getting to work. Tynu ev is making available a bike at EV stations where commuters can access easy and eco-friendly means of transportation.

Sanwo is creating risk-free transactions, they want to connect buyers to lenders without having to fall victim to fraud. Their solution flags fraudulent transactions guiding users on the platform.

Sonocare is creating a platform both for HMO and mobile healthcare while GreenBii is helping organizations work smart and grow fast through the creation of an online platform to network staff in the same organization. It avails the opportunity of staff networking together beyond work e.g travels and shopping.

What is common to all the Hackathon competitors is the fact that they have all infused tech into their service delivery. If your company isn’t thinking tech now, you may soon be pushed out of business.