ThisDay Newspaper 4 February 2025

Cascador, a transformative programme for mid-stage entrepreneurs in Africa founded in 2019, has stated that the firm’s ultimate goal is impact.

This was stated during the alumni meeting of the company held recently in Ikeja.

According to the Founder of Cascador, Dave DeLucia, “Impact can come in a variety of forms: social impact, job creation, innovative solutions to problems, or providing opportunities for women, the poor, or disadvantaged communities to advance. Rather than offering grants or working through NGOs, we have elected to empower the entrepreneurs who are solving problems and making an impact through for-profit ventures.”

He said: “By developing leadership skills, financial acumen, connections, sources of capital and other resources to help them scale, we turbo charge their companies and make their impact possible. We also hope to inspire a spirit of humility, philanthropy and community that drives them to become leaders who give back to their country and community for years to come.”

Speaking about the programme curriculum in 2024 and how it has helped the entrepreneurs, Director of Cascador, Trish Thomas, said: “Our cohort members today have a much more expansive learning experience than our early Cascadors. A practical example of the improvement to our curriculum and timeline is that Founders have time to take their education back to their team and apply it in their real-world operating environment.” 

She added: “We taught the importance of knowing your customer and building your products, services and experiences around their needs. Today, our founders have time to complete a 3-week customer research project with their team, share their insights, and get our help in applying their findings to their business model. We also create a more lasting bond between the founders in each cohort through extended interaction, and teach a more holistic curriculum than before.” 

Article first published here: Cascador Deepens Nigeria’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem  – THISDAYLIVE

Cascador, a Nigeria-based accelerator for mid-stage entrepreneurs, has unveiled the Catalytic Fund, a USD 2 M annual initiative aimed at bridging the funding gap for its alumni. Since launching in 2019, Cascador boasts supporting 60+ entrepreneurs, who have collectively raised over USD 55 M in capital.

The fund is designed to power growth, improve access to funding, and drive sustainable scaling for Nigerian businesses. Founder Dave DeLucia emphasised its focus on job creation, social impact, and unlocking opportunities for underserved communities.

Applications opened on February 14, with finalists pitching on May 14, 2025. An elite investment committee will evaluate businesses based on impact, viability, and financial sustainability.

Cascador has partnered with Nigerian lender Sterling Bank to offer alumni custom lending solutions with flexible repayment terms tailored to business cash flows. Additionally, the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) will sponsor innovation prizes of USD 10 K and USD 5 K, respectively, at the Pitch Day event.

Unlike traditional venture funds, the Catalytic Fund emphasises it prioritises long-term impact over profits, ensuring capital is preserved for future Cascador alumni.

Article first published here: Cascador Launches USD 2 M Catalytic Fund To Support Nigerian Entrepreneurs

Nigeria |  26 March 2025

Cascador and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) have formed a strategic partnership to drive innovation and support homegrown solutions with the potential for transformative impact.

According to a statement, the partnership will enable them build positive socio-economic outcomes through strategic domestic infrastructure investments and provide fiscal support in times of economic distress.

The partnership comes as Cascador launches its $2 million annual Catalytic Fund designed to provide growth capital to alumni of its programme, and follows NSIA’s launch of the third edition of the NSIA Prize for Innovation programme tailored to support early stage businesses within Agriculture, Healthcare and Education. NSIA’s involvement will further enhance the support available to promising entrepreneurs.

This year’s focus sectors include Healthcare, Education, and Agriculture—areas critical to Nigeria’s development and aligned with both organizations’ impact objectives.

Commenting, Founder of Cascador,  Dave DeLucia, said: “By leveraging NSIA’s institutional expertise and Cascador’s track record of developing high-impact entrepreneurs, this partnership unlocks new opportunities for Nigerian business leaders tackling pressing societal challenges.”

Also commenting, Managing Director, NSIA, Aminu Umar-Sadiq said:”NSIA remains committed to expanding economic opportunities and advancing innovation as a key component of National development. We believe that supporting high-potential entrepreneurs is pivotal to driving sustainable economic growth. Correspondingly, our collaboration with Cascador aligns with our overall strategy to meaningfully create value in Nigeria.”

Similarly, CEO of Cascador, Trish Thomas,  said: “Dedicated Cascador Prize for Impact valued at $45,000 with winners selected by Cascador representatives at the award ceremony for NPI finalists.”

“Both Cascador and NSIA believe in the power of innovation to create an impact in Nigeria. We are sponsoring prizes in each competition to motivate finalists for the NSIA Prize for Innovation and the Cascador Catalytic Fund to focus on leveraging imagination and drive to solve tough challenges. Our intent is that these prizes accelerate efforts in the business community to make a positive impact on the world.”

The NSIA Prize for Innovation is a multi-year initiative dedicated to supporting early-stage businesses with the potential for transformative impact. The competition, which is currently open for applications until 5th April, 2025, aims to identify, build, and finance early-stage innovative solutions that have the potential to catalyze economic growth, enhance the nation’s productive capacity, and create jobs.

NPI 3.0 offers Nigerian innovators the opportunity to win a combined prize value of $220,000. Others include five-week, all-expenses-paid training program in Silicon Valley, USA, enhanced visibility for portfolio companies through joint promotional activities, access to NSIA’s extensive network of partners and resources.
The Cascador 2025 programme applications opens on April 1 and submissions for the NSIA Prize for Innovation closes on April 5.

Article first published here: Cascador, NSIA Partner to Empower Nigerian Entrepreneurs – THISDAYLIVE

March 25, 2025 by Our Reporter

Cascador, the premier accelerator for mid-stage Nigerian entrepreneurs, and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (‘NSIA’ or ‘The Authority’) – the premier investment institution of the Federation with a three-fold mandate to create a savings base for future generations of Nigerians, catalyse positive socio-economic outcomes through strategic domestic infrastructure investments and provide fiscal support in times of economic distress – have formed a strategic partnership to drive innovation and support homegrown solutions with the potential for transformative impact. This collaboration represents a major step in both organizations’ shared mission to accelerate sustainable economic growth, expand opportunities for Nigerian entrepreneurs and reposition them for global relevance.

“By leveraging NSIA’s institutional expertise and Cascador’s track record of developing high-impact entrepreneurs, this partnership unlocks new opportunities for Nigerian business leaders tackling pressing societal challenges,” said Dave DeLucia, Founder of Cascador.

“NSIA remains committed to expanding economic opportunities and advancing innovation as a key component of National development. We believe that supporting high-potential entrepreneurs is pivotal to driving sustainable economic growth. Correspondingly, our collaboration with Cascador aligns with our overall strategy to meaningfully create value in Nigeria, said Aminu Umar-Sadiq, Managing Director of NSIA.

Enhanced Opportunities for Entrepreneurs

The partnership comes as Cascador launches its $2 million annual Catalytic Fund designed to provide growth capital to alumni of its program, and follows NSIA’s launch of the third edition of the NSIA Prize for Innovation programme tailored to support early stage businesses within Agriculture, Healthcare and Education. NSIA’s involvement will further enhance the support available to promising entrepreneurs.

Applications for Cascador’s Catalytic Fund were open only to Cascador alumni who had completed the program. Cascador has produced six cohorts of mission driven entrepreneurs since 2019. The program will culminate in a Pitch Day Event on May 14, 2025, where finalists will present their ventures to a distinguished panel of judges and investors, including representatives from NSIA.

A $10,000 NSIA Prize for Innovation will be awarded at the event to the Cascador alumni whose business proposition best exemplifies the spirit of creativity and innovation that NSIA is fostering across Nigeria through the NSIA Prize for Innovation – an initiative focused on encouraging youth entrepreneurship through funding, mentorship, peer to peer knowledge exchange and high impact networking.

Cascador Supports the Third Edition of the NSIA Prize for Innovation (NPI 3.0).

The NSIA Prize for Innovation is a multi-year initiative dedicated to supporting early-stage businesses with the potential for transformative impact. The competition, which is currently open for applications until 5^th April, 2025, aims to identify, build, and finance early-stage innovative solutions that have the potential to catalyze economic growth, enhance the nation’s productive capacity, and create jobs.

NPI 3.0 offers Nigerian innovators the opportunity to win:

• A combined prize value of $220,000
• Dedicated Cascador Prize for Impact valued at $45,000 with winners selected by Cascador representatives at the award ceremony for NPI finalists
• Five-week, all-expenses-paid training program in Silicon Valley, USA
• Enhanced visibility for portfolio companies through joint promotional activities
• Access to NSIA’s extensive network of partners and resources

This year’s focus sectors include Healthcare, Education, and Agriculture—areas critical to Nigeria’s development and aligned with both organizations’ impact objectives.

Trish Thomas, CEO of Cascador, discussed the financial incentives for entrepreneurs, saying, “Both Cascador and NSIA believe in the power of innovation to create an impact in Nigeria. We are sponsoring prizes in each competition to motivate finalists for the NSIA Prize for Innovation and the Cascador Catalytic Fund to focus on leveraging imagination and drive to solve tough challenges. Our intent is that these prizes accelerate efforts in the business community to make a positive impact on the world.”

Cascador 2025 program applications open April 1st. To learn more about Cascador and to apply, visit www.cascador.org.

Article first published here: Cascador and Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) Announce Strategic Partnership to Empower Nigerian Entrepreneurs – The Nation Newspaper