by Ali Kennedy | Aug 14, 2026 | Press Release
Announced in celebration of International Youth Day 2026, the program will award top-performing founders up to ₦5 million in non-dilutive funding
14 August 2026, Abuja – The Federal Ministry of Youth Development (FMYD), through the Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA), today announced a new partnership with Cascador, a Nigeria-focused platform for growth-stage founders, to fund and support the next generation of Nigerian youth entrepreneurs. The announcement coincides with International Youth Day 2026, whose global theme this year — “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations” — calls on institutions to close the gap between young people’s circumstances and their opportunities.
The NiYA × Cascador Founders Program will run as a pilot cohort of 20 early-stage Nigerian youth founders, many without formal business registration or a financial track record. Over an intensive four-week curriculum, they’ll develop business fundamentals, investment readiness, and pitch preparation. At the program’s close, the eight top-performing founders will receive non-dilutive funding of up to ₦5 million each from Cascador, along with an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution to help structure, manage, and scale their business operations, at a NiYA/FMYD-organised Pitch Day.
The pilot is an early step toward NiYA’s broader ambition to train and empower 7 million Nigerian youth within two years.
“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. The partnership with Cascador strengthens that pathway by combining business preparation with access to capital, particularly for young founders who may not yet have the formal structures or financial history that traditional funding often requires,” the Minister said.
The program pairs NiYA and FMYD’s reach into Nigeria’s youth ecosystem with Cascador’s experience preparing founders for capital. NiYA and FMYD manage sourcing, training, and day-to-day delivery; Cascador helps define eligibility criteria, supports the cohort’s investment readiness, judges the participants’ pitches, and funds the program’s top performers.
“NiYA and FMYD have already shown what real commitment to Nigeria’s youth looks like — the platforms, the reach, the ambition to train millions. 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,” said Trish Thomas, CEO of Cascador.
Oyin Solebo, COO of Cascador and former Managing Director of the ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, highlighted the partnership’s impact, saying, “This is what innovative capital deployment looks like: a government building real investment readiness at scale, and a partner meeting that foundational work with non-dilutive funding at exactly the moment it’s needed. Partnerships like this open doors that neither of us could open alone.”
“The Minister for Youth also speaks on what the pilot represents, stating, “The pilot is deliberately designed to test a model that can go beyond one cohort. If young founders can be identified early, prepared properly, connected to credible capital and supported to build stronger business systems, then access to opportunity becomes less dependent on background or existing networks. That is the larger objective: to build a youth entrepreneurship ecosystem in which readiness, ideas and execution can increasingly determine who gets the opportunity to grow.”
The pilot will run in-person in Abuja with virtual touchpoints and 1:1 mentorship. All 20 graduates retain NiYA alumni status, with priority consideration for future opportunities.
Applications will open on Wednesday 19th August 2026. Interested youth entrepreneurs can visit www.niya.gov.ng to learn more and apply.
– ENDS –
About the Federal Ministry of Youth Development (FMYD) and NiYA
The Federal Ministry of Youth Development (FMYD) is the Federal Government of Nigeria’s institution responsible for providing strategic leadership and a sustainable framework for policies, programmes, and initiatives that empower young Nigerians and enhance their participation in national development. The Ministry works with government institutions, private-sector organisations, development partners, and other stakeholders to expand opportunities for youth in areas including skills development, entrepreneurship, employment, innovation, digital transformation, leadership, and economic participation.
The Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA) is a flagship digital platform of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development designed to provide Nigerian youth with access to learning, skills development, opportunities, resources, and programmes that support their personal and professional growth. Through a digital-first approach, NiYA seeks to connect young Nigerians to relevant training, entrepreneurship support, career opportunities, grants, mentorship, and other interventions, creating a more accessible and coordinated ecosystem for youth development.
Together, FMYD and NiYA are advancing a more connected, empowered, and opportunity-driven generation of Nigerian youth, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, networks, and opportunities required to contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s socio-economic development.
About Cascador
Cascador is a Nigeria-focused platform for growth-stage founders building businesses that make an impact. Through Cascador ScaleUp, its flagship program, Cascador works with an elite cohort of entrepreneurs to strengthen their leadership and sharpen their strategy, preparing them to scale successfully. ScaleUp alumni gain exclusive access to the Catalytic Fund, which deploys up to $5M USD in capital annually through a blend of debt and equity investments. Since 2019, Cascador has supported 70 companies that have collectively raised over $125 million. Today, alumni are driving innovation, creating jobs, raising investment capital, winning awards, and changing the face of the African economy. Learn more at www.cascador.org
by Ali Kennedy | Aug 14, 2026 | News
By Opeyemi Kareem
14th Aug, 2026
Cascador, a Nigeria-focused platform for growth-stage founders, has partnered with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development (FMYD) through the Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA), a federal digital empowerment platform, to launch a programme to help youth entrepreneurs build stronger businesses.
The NiYA × Cascador Founders Program will begin with a pilot cohort of 20 early-stage Nigerian founders, eight of whom will receive up to ₦5 million ($3,600) each in non-dilutive funding at the end of the programme. Applications for the program will open on August 19, and interested participants can apply on the NiYA website.
The programme adds to the Nigerian government’s efforts in supporting young entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses. 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.
“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 yet have the formal structures or financial history that traditional funding often requires.”
The program will run for four weeks and cover business fundamentals, investment readiness and pitch preparation, according to the company. It will be delivered in person in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, and include virtual touchpoints and one-on-one mentorship.
After completion, the eight top-performing founders will receive an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution designed to help them organise and manage their businesses in addition to the funding at a NiYA/FMYD-organised Pitch Day. The funding is non-dilutive, meaning the founders will not have to give up equity in their businesses in exchange for the capital.
“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.”
Over the course of the program, NiYA and FMYD will handle founder sourcing, training and the day-to-day delivery of the programme, while Cascador will help define eligibility criteria, support investment-readiness training, judge the founders’ pitches and provide the funding for the top performers.
The pilot is part of NiYA’s ambition to train and empower seven million Nigerian youth within two years. All 20 founders who complete the program retain NiYA alumni status and receive priority consideration for future opportunities, according to the academy.
The program builds on Cascador’s existing work supporting Nigerian founders, including through the Cascador ScaleUp, a program for growth-stage entrepreneurs focused on leadership and strategy. Its ScaleUp alumni gain access to the Cascador Catalytic Fund, which the company said deploys up to $5 million annually through a combination of debt and equity investments.
Since 2019, Cascador said it has supported 70 companies that have collectively raised more than $125 million.
Link to TechCabal Article
by Ali Kennedy | Aug 10, 2026 | Press Release
Lagos, Nigeria – August 4, 2026 — EHA Impact Ventures (EIV) and Cascador convened founders, investors, healthcare leaders, and ecosystem stakeholders for the Health Founders’ Table, an intimate gathering designed to foster honest conversations about the realities of building health-focused ventures in Africa.
The event brought together entrepreneurs working across healthcare delivery, health technology, and nutrition to explore some of the most pressing challenges facing founders today. Discussions focused on access to capital, talent retention, regulatory readiness, market access, and building sustainable businesses capable of delivering long-term impact.
Unlike traditional conferences, the Health Founders’ Table was intentionally designed as a space for candid dialogue and practical problem-solving. Participants engaged directly with industry leaders and peers to exchange experiences, lessons learned, and actionable strategies.
“Building a business can be isolating. Building a health business can be even more so,” said Adam Thompson, Co-Founder of EHA Impact Ventures and CEO of EHA Group. “The solutions to many of these challenges already exist within the ecosystem; founders simply need opportunities to learn from one another.”
Among the key themes that emerged was the changing landscape for startup financing. Founders discussed the realities of operating in a more concentrated funding environment and explored alternative pathways to growth, including revenue-based expansion, strategic partnerships, grants, customer contracts, and local financing mechanisms.
The conversation also tackled one of the most pressing realities facing businesses across the continent: talent migration, commonly known as “japa.” During the session on managing talent exodus, Ijeoma Anunibe, Group Head of Human Resources at African Capital Alliance, challenged founders to rethink their approach to talent retention and continuity planning.
“People leave. That’s not failure. It’s a fact. Plan around it,” she said. Participants explored practical approaches to retaining critical talent, maintaining relationships with professionals who relocate, and designing organizations that can continue to thrive despite workforce disruptions.
Market access proved just as central to the day’s conversations. Unoma Grant, Executive Director and COO of Paelon Memorial Hospital, described how a hospital’s decision to work with a founder has to clear four separate tests at once — clinical, operational, financial, and governance — before a single “yes” translates into real market access. Her sharpest note was on why founders stall at this stage: “A pilot without a defined decision, a named data owner, and a set end date is not a pilot. It is unpaid research that happens to run inside a hospital.” Without that discipline, a pilot can run for months without ever converting into the access it was meant to test.
Reflecting on the discussions, Kudzayi Hove, CEO/Co-Founder of Amayi Foods, noted: “One thing that stood out to me was how grounded in reality the sessions were, especially when we were exploring different funding pathways for our businesses.”
Speaking on the importance of the gathering, Amanda Etuk, Program Director at Cascador, said: “Founders often face similar challenges in isolation. By creating opportunities for shared learning and collaboration, EHA Impact Ventures and Cascador are helping strengthen the ecosystem supporting entrepreneurs working to improve health outcomes across Africa.”
The event reinforced a central message: while access to capital remains important, sustainable growth depends equally on trust, market access, talent, and strong partnerships.
EHA Impact Ventures and Cascador continue their mission of supporting founders building solutions in Africa and creating spaces where entrepreneurs can access not only funding, but also the networks, knowledge, and strategic support needed to grow their impact.
About EHA Impact Ventures
EHA Impact Ventures (EIV) is a gender-lens impact investing firm under The EHA Group, backing women-led businesses building innovative health, nutrition, and livelihoods solutions across Africa. Through flexible capital, strategic support, and access to networks, EIV helps founders scale businesses that create measurable social impact while building sustainable enterprises.To learn more, visit https://www.eha.ventures/
Media Contact: Sumayyah Ibrahim | Email: sumayyah.ibrahim@eha.ventures
Investor Contact: Evelyn Castle | Email: evelyn@eha.ventures
About Cascador
Cascador is a Nigeria-focused platform for growth-stage founders building businesses that make an impact. Through Cascador ScaleUp, its flagship program, Cascador works with an elite cohort of entrepreneurs to strengthen their leadership and sharpen their strategy, preparing them to scale successfully. ScaleUp alumni gain exclusive access to the Catalytic Fund, which deploys up to $5M USD in capital annually through a blend of debt and equity investments. Since 2019, Cascador has supported 70 companies that have collectively raised over $125 million. Today, alumni are driving innovation, creating jobs, raising investment capital, winning awards, and changing the face of the African economy.
Learn more at www.cascador.org
Media Contact: cascador@wimbart.com
by Ali Kennedy | Jul 27, 2026 | News, Podcast
July 27, 2026, Podcast | Hosted by Terser Adamu
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1901592/episodes/19550629
Show Notes
Episode 231 with Amanda Etuk, Program Director at Cascador, an Africa focused platform supporting growth stage entrepreneurs with the leadership, networks, strategic partnerships and catalytic capital needed to build resilient, high impact businesses.
Amanda works at the intersection of strategy and execution, helping founders navigate one of the most overlooked stages of African entrepreneurship. With experience spanning scaling startups, managing complex multimillion pound operations and building ecosystem partnerships, she is focused on equipping entrepreneurs with the tools they need to grow sustainable businesses that create jobs and strengthen Africa’s economy. Through Cascador, she works closely with founders who have moved beyond the startup phase but need the right support to successfully scale their businesses.
In this episode, Amanda explains why Africa’s biggest entrepreneurial opportunity lies not in creating more startups, but in helping existing African businesses successfully navigate the “messy middle”. She explores why growth stage founders are often overlooked despite their importance to job creation and economic development, why leadership and strong networks matter just as much as access to finance, and why Africa needs new models of support that extend beyond traditional venture capital to build resilient, globally competitive businesses and strengthen the real economy.
What We Discuss With Amanda
- Why the “messy middle” is one of the biggest and most overlooked opportunities in Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
- Why growth stage businesses are critical to creating jobs and driving long term economic growth across Africa.
- Why leadership development, mentorship and strong peer networks can be just as valuable as raising capital.
- Why Africa needs financing and support models that go beyond venture capital to better serve the real economy.
- What founders, investors, policymakers and ecosystem builders need to do differently to help more African businesses scale into resilient, globally competitive companies.
Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss Why Africa’s Music Industry Isn’t Getting Paid What It’s Owed? Make sure to check it out!
Connect with Terser:
LinkedIn – Terser Adamu
Instagram – unlockingafrica
Twitter (X) – @TerserAdamu
Connect with Amanda
LinkedIn – Amanda Etuk and Cascador
Many of the businesses unlocking opportunities in Africa don’t do it alone. If you’d like strategic support on entering or expanding across African markets, reach out to our partners ETK Group:
www.etkgroup.co.uk
info@etkgroup.co.uk
Unlocking Africa
by Ali Kennedy | Jul 24, 2026 | News
July 24, 2026, Op-Ed | By Oyin Solebo
Africa’s startup ecosystem has mastered the art of the launch. Accelerators and incubators have achieved exactly what they were designed to: help founders bring ideas to life, find early traction, and secure that first institutional check. But design has limits. When those same companies are ready to scale, the support that carried them begins to thin. This is the messy middle—and it’s where too many promising companies quietly stall or die.
As companies move from startup to scaleup, the challenge shifts to building systems that allow a business to grow beyond its founder: robust financial management, structured hiring, institutional governance, and distributed leadership. Scaling without this infrastructure is like accelerating without steering; growth may come, but it is difficult to control or sustain.
Closing this gap means moving from instinct-led execution to structured, scalable growth. In practice, this means stronger financial health, decentralised leadership, good governance, and capital matched to strategy.
Ensuring founders are ready to absorb capital
Before looking to fundraise, founders must answer a fundamental question: who is actually driving revenue, and is it the right customer?
Many growth-stage founders can tell you their total customer count. Fewer can articulate which segment is the most valuable: which generates the highest lifetime value, at an acquisition cost the business can sustain? Customer retention tells the real story: strong retention signals something worth scaling. Weakening retention is an early warning that growth is filling a leaking bucket.
The risk is scaling before this picture is clear: pouring capital into the wrong customer. Getting this right reorients everything that follows.
A company can also be growing, profitable on paper, and still die. Cash cycles—the gap between earning revenue and collecting cash—can pose an existential threat. Rapid scaling worsens this; without continuous working capital modeling, a company risks insolvency despite its growth.
Currency fluctuations also add complexity for companies that often operate across multiple currencies. Founders must develop treasury discipline, mastering conversion timing, reserves, and hedging. They also need fluency in unit economics to ensure growth builds, rather than erodes, enterprise value.
More importantly, on the organisational side of the business, founders need to learn how to delegate. Africa’s most resilient founders have survived on resourcefulness, navigating funding winters, currency crises, thinning talent pools, and unforgiving markets. That scrappiness is a genuine superpower, until it becomes the ceiling.
Growth-stage founders are rarely taught organisational design or effective delegation. Many become the bottleneck, a key reason why 90% of African startups fail. Securing top talent requires unfamiliar skills: identifying exceptional candidates, selling the vision, and crafting creative compensation packages. Equity, deferred pay, part-time experts, and advisory boards can bridge talent gaps when the salary budget isn’t there yet.
Governance is also a cornerstone for growth and one of the most underleveraged tools in the growth-stage founder’s kit. Early boards often consist of family, friends, and early believers – not through neglect, but because no one had shown them what a growth-stage board should look like or how to evolve it.
The stakes compound with scale. A startup can operate informally early on, but at the growth stage, they face real contractual liability and closer regulatory scrutiny that require higher legal and compliance frameworks.
A board can feel like oversight a founder didn’t ask for. But that framing undersells what good governance actually offers: accountability that sharpens the founder, plus expertise, connections, and counsel a founder couldn’t yet afford to hire.
Aligning capital to strategy
Africa’s funding ecosystem has defaulted to frameworks developed in Western markets – Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) notes and equity raises as the standard instruments of growth. But capital should be chosen with intention, matched to what the business actually needs.
Debt funding hit a record $1.64 billion across the continent in 2025, up 63% year-on-year, suggesting founders are increasingly exploring a broader range of financing options. As more founders and lenders develop the track record and instruments to make debt work in African market conditions, equity should increasingly be reserved for what it is actually designed to fund: risk, not timing. Scaling requires evaluating the full capital stack: balancing equity dilution against debt covenants while exploring strategic partnerships, Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), and revenue-based structures. Catalytic or concessional capital can further bridge the gap to commercial readiness.
An early-stage company with no revenue history, collateral, or track record may have no choice but equity, while a growth-stage company with recurring revenue can hold a fundamentally different credit proposition. The ecosystem must meet founders with capital matched to strategy.
Africa’s founders have proven they can build. Helping them scale will shape far more than individual companies; it will shape African economies. Success will require an ecosystem designed to support founders beyond the early stage, with the same quality of guidance, resources, and institutional support they received at the start. It is time to build the infrastructure for scale.
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Oyin Solebo is the COO at Cascador, an Africa-focused platform for growth-stage founders building businesses that make an impact. She also serves as Advisor at Cone Ventures Studio, co-founding and scaling Africa-focused ventures, and as Senior Advisor at Ventures 54. Previously, she was Managing Director of the ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, Techstars’ flagship Africa-based programme.
TECHCABAL Article
