DBN to Sponsor Flagship Innovation Prize of $5,000 USD at Cascador’s Inaugural Alumni Pitch Day
2025: Cascador, the premier accelerator for mid-stage Nigerian entrepreneurs, and the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN), the nation’s leading development finance institution, today announced a strategic partnership to scale impact-driven businesses and catalyze innovation across Nigeria. This collaboration reinforces both organizations’ shared mission to power economic growth, provide training to the business community, and expand opportunities for Nigerian entrepreneurs.
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. DBN’s involvement will further enhance the funds and capacity building support available to promising entrepreneurs.
Applications for Cascador’s Alumni Funding Cycle 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 DBN.
“This partnership represents a powerful alignment of visions,” said Trish Thomas, CEO at Cascador. “By combining DBN’s financial infrastructure with Cascador’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and accelerator program, we’re creating an unprecedented pathway for Nigerian innovators to scale their impact.”
Key Partnership Elements:
DBN Prize for Innovation: $5,000 financial award + access to DBN’s entrepreneurial ecosystem;
Capacity Building: Joint training programs bridging DBN’s SME development expertise with Cascador’s entrepreneurial curriculum.
“DBN is committed to empowering SMEs as engines of economic growth,” stated Tony Okpanachi, Managing Director / CEO at DBN. “Through this partnership with Cascador, we’re investing in Nigeria’s most promising entrepreneurs while advancing our ‘Race to 500K’ SME development goal.”
Cascador 2025 program applications open April 1st. To learn more about Cascador and to apply, visit cascador.org.
About Cascador
Cascador is an annual, intensive program focused on developing mid-stage Nigerian entrepreneurs who are scaling mission-driven companies. Through a unique blend of education, mentoring, and personalized support, Cascador empowers entrepreneurs to make a positive impact through job creation, innovation, and development of opportunities for underprivileged and marginalized communities. Since its launch in 2019, Cascador alumni have collectively raised over $55 million USD in capital and are actively transforming their communities for the better. Learn more at cascador.org.
About DBN
The Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) was conceived by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) in collaboration with global development partners to address the major financing challenges facing Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria. The objective of the Development Bank of Nigeria is to alleviate financing constraints faced by MSMEs and small Corporates in Nigeria through the provision of financing and partial credit guarantees to eligible financial intermediaries on a market-conforming and fully financially sustainable basis. Learn more at devbankng.com.
Article first published here: Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) Partners with Cascador to Empower Nigerian Entrepreneurs – Businessday NG