Tongston

We are also pleased to announce the winner of the First Prize and the Tongston Entrepreneurial Thinking Prize.

This prize recognises a participant who showed a strong mindset across all three stages — Think, Create and Sell — not just a good idea, but clear thinking, creativity, resilience and a willingness to learn.

This year’s Tongston Entrepreneurial Thinking Prize goes to Martins Jehoshaphat, founder of Smart Cut Barbing Salon.

Throughout the sessions, Martins Jehoshaphat consistently demonstrated:

A clear understanding of the problem they are trying to solve

A practical and flexible approach to shaping the business model

Strong effort in improving their pitch and responding to feedback

Their business reflects the kind of thinking Tongston wants to see in young entrepreneurs: focused on value, grounded in real needs and open to continuous improvement.

We’re glad to recognise Martins Jehoshaphat for embodying the spirit of entrepreneurial thinking.

If you want to develop the same kind of mindset, start your journey on T-World: t-world.tongston.com

Congratulations to our Second Place Winner of the GSU Ideas Contest 3.0 — Abubakar Sadeeq Umar, founder of Jakimshi's Couture.

Their idea stood out for its clarity, strong market understanding and the effort they put into refining their concept through the Think, Create and Sell sessions. The judges noted how well they articulated their problem, explained their solution and demonstrated the practical steps needed to bring their idea to life.

This achievement reflects consistency, growth and a real commitment to improving their work.

We’re proud of Abubakar Sadeeq Umar for earning this position.
Celebrate and support young innovators like this.
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We’re excited to announce the Third Place Winner of the GSU Ideas Contest 3.0 — Idi Gideon Danlami, founder of Supreme Computer, Internet Café & Printing Press.

Their pitch showed strong effort and clear improvement across all three training sessions. They demonstrated a solid understanding of their customers, a well-defined solution and a determined approach to refining their idea step by step.

This win highlights their hard work, discipline and willingness to learn.

Congratulations to Idi Gideon Danlami on earning this position.
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Pitch Day spotlight is Campus Deal, a student-focused digital ecosystem designed to solve the everyday challenges students face on Nigerian campuses.

Campus Deal brings multiple core needs into one verified platform — marketplace, accommodation discovery, gigs and short-term jobs, study resources, campus news, lost-and-found, payments, and even last-mile delivery. Everything is built around a trusted, identity-verified student community.

The idea came from a simple reality: students rely heavily on scattered WhatsApp groups, unreliable accommodation pages and informal channels that are difficult to trust. Campus Deal organizes all of this into a safe, structured system where students can buy, sell, find a place to stay, get campus jobs, recover lost items, access learning materials and make small payments easily.

With its in-app wallet, delivery coordination and verified profiles, Campus Deal creates a complete campus economy where transactions are safer, logistics are smoother and information is more reliable. It gives students one platform for almost everything they need daily — whether academic, social or commercial.

The founders built Campus Deal with expansion in mind, using a campus-first model that grows one university at a time. They’re starting where the impact is strongest: right inside the student community.

We look forward to seeing this idea on the pitch stage.

Follow the journey of young innovators building tools for real problems.

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Another of our Pitch Day spotlight yesterday was Droply, founded by Ahmed Mohammed Ladan — a tech-driven solution built to make buying, selling and delivery easier for people in Gombe.

Droply connects buyers, local sellers, and riders on one simple platform, helping small businesses reach more customers, helping students and residents discover products faster, and giving riders access to flexible delivery jobs.

The idea came from a real gap: local sellers struggle with visibility, buyers want convenience, and riders want structured earning opportunities.

Droply brings all three together with a digital marketplace, product discovery hub, on-demand delivery, secure payments and onboarding support for sellers and riders.

With its hyper-local focus starting at Gombe State University and plans to scale across the state, Droply aims to become the go-to platform for local commerce and last-mile delivery in Northern Nigeria.

Ahmed understands the community well, and his pitch today will show how a simple idea can create opportunities on all sides.

Be part of the movement.
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Our Pitch Day spotlight yesterday was on SmartCuts Barbing Salon, a modern grooming brand founded by Martins Jehoshaphat, one of the entrepreneurs pitching at the GSU Ideas Contest.

SmartCuts is designed to bring professional, clean and affordable grooming to the GSU community. With over 10 years of barbing experience, Martins is building a salon that prioritizes hygiene, comfort and quality service for students and staff. The business offers stylish haircuts, beard grooming, hair treatments and the sale of essential grooming products — all delivered in a well-equipped, customer-friendly environment close to campus.

The idea fills a real gap on campus. Many students currently depend on far-off salons that are overcrowded or lack proper equipment. SmartCuts aims to change that by providing a reliable grooming space that is nearby, efficient and tailored to the needs of young people. With a clear focus on customer satisfaction, modern tools and strong service delivery, the salon is positioned to become a go-to grooming spot for the university community.

We’re looking forward to Martins’ pitch today as he shares his vision for a grooming experience built on professionalism and convenience.

Explore tools, opportunities and learning on T-World at t-world.tongston.com

Tongston .

Our next Pitch Day spotlight is Vendora, a digital platform founded by Ishaq, built to help African entrepreneurs sell more and grow faster. Vendora isn’t just an online marketplace, it’s a full business-support ecosystem designed for vendors, event organizers, and young entrepreneurs across the continent.

The idea came from seeing how difficult it is for local businesses to sell online, manage payments, reach customers, access investors or even get simple business-planning tools. Vendora brings all of that together in one place:

A multi-vendor online marketplace

Event ticketing with QR-code access

AI-powered business planning

Startup–investor matching

Secure payments and wallets

A support system built for African realities

From vendors trying to improve their sales, to event organizers who need reliable ticketing, to entrepreneurs looking for digital tools and investors, Vendora offers the kind of practical support most small businesses struggle to find.

The mission is simple, help Africans start, run and scale businesses with fewer barriers and better tools.

We’re looking forward to seeing Ishaq present this idea on the pitch stage today.

Join T-World at t-world.tongston.com to explore more opportunities and follow the journey of young innovators building tools that support businesses across Africa.

Tongston .

Our Pitch Day spotlight shines on Jibril Abubakar (XBeing), the founder of Xinsights, a data analytics and consulting firm transforming how Nigerian businesses understand and use information.

Xinsights helps SMEs, NGOs and startups turn messy, disorganized data into clean, visual and actionable insights. Their work focuses on solving a major challenge many organizations face — data paralysis. With services that include data cleaning, dashboard development, survey analysis, market research and M&E support, Xinsights is positioning itself as the flexible, on-demand data team for organizations that need clarity to make smart decisions.

Jibril’s vision is simple: help businesses move from confusion to clarity by giving them easy access to dashboards, reports and insights that guide growth, strategy and performance. This pitch reflects a deep understanding of Nigeria’s growing need for data-driven decision making and a practical approach to supporting organizations across sectors.

Innovators like Jibril show how young entrepreneurs can use technology, analysis and storytelling to solve real problems and unlock opportunities for local businesses.

Join T-World at t-world.tongston.com to discover more opportunities and follow the journey of young innovators shaping solutions across Nigeria.

Tongston .

Our next Pitch Day spotlight is on Idi Gideon Danlami, founder of Supreme Computer, Internet Café & Printing Press, a tech-focused service center designed to meet the everyday digital needs of students and staff at Gombe State University.

Supreme Computer offers reliable access to internet-enabled computers, fast printing, photocopying, lamination, document typing, scanning, online registration support, and even photo passport services. Idi also plans to offer graphic design, photo enlargement and basic computer training — creating a one-stop ICT hub for academic and administrative tasks.

His business responds to a real gap on campus. Many students depend on scattered, inconsistent printing and browsing centers that often lack speed, modern equipment or convenient access. Supreme Computer aims to change this by providing affordable, fast and dependable services within or near the university — built around quality, accessibility and strong customer service.

With a clear vision to support learning, research and digital productivity, Idi’s business reflects the kind of problem-solving mindset the Ideas Contest is all about. We’re looking forward to his pitch today.

Join T-World at t-world.tongston.com to follow the journey of young innovators building solutions that support education, creativity and productivity. Tongston .

Our next Pitch Day spotlight is on Jikamshi’s Couture, a youth-led fashion brand founded by Abubakar Sadeeq Umar, a GSU student in the Faculty of Science. His idea brings fresh energy to modest fashion through handmade abayas, jallabiyas and kids’ wears crafted with quality fabrics and stylish finishes.

Jikamshi’s Couture blends modern fashion with cultural modesty, using crepe, duchess and sequin fabrics, decorative stones and clean finishing to produce beautiful, durable outfits. The brand solves a real problem many students face — the struggle to find affordable, modest and stylish clothing locally without worrying about online delivery scams or delays.

Sadeeq’s business is built on accessibility, fast delivery and youth-driven creativity. With plans to introduce apprenticeships, expand online visibility and grow into a campus-based fashion hub, Jikamshi’s Couture represents innovation rooted in culture, confidence and community impact.

We’re excited to see his pitch today.

Explore tools, opportunities and learning on T-World at

t-world.tongston.com.

Tongston .

The spotlight is on Kids Stitches by Ummu, a children’s fashion brand led by Ummul Khulsum Aliyu — one of the young entrepreneurs pitching at the GSU Ideas Contest.

Kids Stitches by Ummu creates high-quality, culturally expressive clothing for children aged 1–15, blending affordability, comfort and Nigerian identity. The brand focuses on ready-to-wear outfits, bespoke tailoring and modern digital innovation such as 3D previews, virtual try-on tools and customization options that allow parents to personalize every detail.

With Nigeria’s growing youth population and constant need for durable children’s clothing, Ummu’s idea taps into a strong and continuously expanding market. Her approach bridges the gap between informal tailoring and costly imported brands by offering reliable sizing, professional finishing and designs inspired by Nigerian culture.

From Grow-With-Me outfits to sustainable resale programs and digital fittings, Kids Stitches by Ummu showcases innovation, creativity and a deep understanding of what Nigerian parents truly need.

We look forward to her pitch today.

Explore tools, opportunities and learning on T-World at t-world.tongston.com Tongston .