Six young entrepreneurs who emerged winners at the recent business pitch ‘Meet The CEOs’ organised by Skyewise Foundation, have received their cash prizes, in fulfilment of the Foundation’s promise, upholding the credibility it has established over the years.
The young entrepreneurs at the 4th edition of the ‘Meet The CEOs’, had a first hand mentorship from highly successful chief executives, including the President/CEO of Chocharis Group, Dr. Cosmas Maduka; CEO of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Charles Odii, and others.
They also pitched their business ideas after which six winners eventually emerged.
The summit tagged ‘Cultivating the Next Generation of Young Entrepreneurs for Tomorrow’s Economy’ saw over 100 applications for business empowerment.
However, the applications were screened and 10 were shortlisted.
The number later pitched their business ideas to a panel of unbiased judges and six persons made it to the final.
All six winners have been credited via a bank transfer. Elizabeth Sunday, the CEO of Zaza Food won the star prize of N2m.
Other winner are Scholastica Ladan Kashim, the CEO Kastican Business Enterprise; Emmanuel Adams, CEO Adams Gold Designers; Miss Naimah, CEO Adron By Nay; Okoro Faith, CEO Food Aza Services, and Kunle Eyefid, CEO ERP Data Tech. Each of the rest of the candidates received the sum of N1m.
The MD/CEO of Skyewise, who is also the president of Skyewise Foundation, Dr. Elvis Abuyare, while commending the elated winners, charged them to maximise the opportunity given to them by the company to expand their vision. He equally congratulated them for their steadfastness,during and after the programme.
“I want to welcome you in a special way to Skyewise organisation, we are delighted to have you here today. We are also excited to be here to hand over the cash reward to the deserving winners. Today, we are giving out seven million naira to this year’s winners of ‘Meet The CEOs 4.0.’ These young entrepreneurs have distinguished themselves and we are happy to have them. I want to urge you to be very meticulous and careful.
“Remember that to whom much is given, much is anticipated. You are expected to put into practice the experiences and mentorship you have garnered at this year’s conference to expand your dreams and elevate your businesses. This fund is not meant for you to start enjoying yourselves, rather, it is for you to use it wisely and sensibly to push your visions and dreams to the next level.”
Responding on behalf of other winners, Esther Elizabeth, who is was star winner, said, “I’m really super excited. Firstly, I want to acknowledge God who makes everything good in His own time. I’m happy today because Skyewise has given me the privilege to smile again as a struggling entrepreneur in Nigeria. I’m happy to embrace this new role of a mentee because Skyewise is already a role model to me.”
While giving a vote of thanks, Senkoya Oluwole, a trustee of Skyewise Foundation, applauded the winners for coming out top during the event. He assured them of the NGO’s desire to follow up their business growth as well as monitor their progress in their respective crafts, especially with the investment of the money in their businesses.
