US sponsors Ifeoma Uddoh, winner of SelectUSA Tech Pitch Competition
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Fintech entrepreneur Ifeoma Uddoh has won this year’s SelectUSA Tech Nigeria Pitch Competition, which qualifies her for a complimentary ticket to attend the annual SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington from 26-29 June.
Uddoh, 2021 Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) alumna, is the founder of Shecluded, a fintech startup bridging financial inclusion gap among women of color.
She will pitch to venture capitalists, corporate investors, startup ecosystems representatives, and industry experts at the Regional, Middle East & Africa Pitch event of the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington.
The summit offers her an unprecedented opportunity to learn how to expand Shecluded to United States, make the right connections, learn about investment destinations, and discover relevant resources to move the startup forward.
Purpose of tech pitch competition
The US Consulate General in Lagos on Monday hosted the SelectUSA Tech Pitch Competition for Nigerian female-led tech startups interested in expanding their business operations into the US.
Nine startups made their pitch before a panel of accomplished US and Nigerian business leaders, including US Consulate representatives, and received valuable feedback on their business proposals.
The US government organised the event to demonstrate its longstanding, committed support for entrepreneurship as a key driver for stimulating economic growth and increasing prosperity in Nigeria.
US Consulate Deputy Public Affairs Officer Jennifer Foltz congratulated the participants for their outstanding pitches.
She reiterated that America is committed to providing women with the knowledge, networks, and access they need to launch and scale successful businesses.
“The U.S. government is proud to support young female entrepreneurs who are key to Nigeria’s future prosperity,” Foltz stressed.
“We look forward to continuing to foster a strong entrepreneurial culture by providing skills training, resources, mentorship, and opportunities for Nigerian entrepreneurs to expand their businesses locally and to the United States.”
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Investment Summit
The annual SelectUSA Investment Summit is where business potential meets business opportunity.
It connects qualified companies with US economic development organisations to facilitate business investment and job creation.
The summit plays a vital role in attracting and facilitating business investment and job creation by raising awareness about the wide range of investment opportunities in the US and enabling essential direct connections between entrepreneurs and American investors.
Investing in women’s inclusion
Washington supports a number of programs – including AWE, TechWomen and TechGirls Programs, and African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP) – to facilitate women’s inclusion in society.
More broadly, the US government has invested millions of dollars to directly advance gender equality across sub-Saharan Africa through activities that promote political and economic opportunities for women.
