Incubation, Acceleration and Business Development Lead

About the Programme

Wootlab Innovations is implementing the North Central ESO Aggregator Programme, targeting 25,000 beneficiaries across 11 tertiary institutions in Nigeria's North Central region (Benue, FCT, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau). This initiative delivers training in entrepreneurship as well as digital and creative sectors through a structured training, incubation, and acceleration model facilitated by a network of Entrepreneurship Support Organisations (ESOs). The programme encompasses training tracks classified as Foundational, Developmental, and Specialised, closely coordinating with participating tertiary institutions.

Role Overview

The Incubation, Acceleration and Business Development Lead will architect and oversee the programme's incubation and acceleration phases, designed to nurture promising beneficiaries into investment-ready or revenue-generating startups. This role independently manages the design of hackathons, pitch sessions, innovation challenges, along with the overall business development curriculum and startup support mechanisms, distinct from research commercialisation and intellectual property advisory functions.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop the incubation and acceleration pathway aligning with foundational and developmental training, determining eligibility and progression criteria for beneficiaries entering these stages.
• Structure cohorts, define milestones, and establish support interactions for ventures across 10 Centres of Excellence.
• Create and deliver business development training covering areas such as venture planning, market validation, financial literacy, and growth strategies, customized for entrepreneurs in digital and creative industries.
• Organize and manage hackathons, pitch sessions, and innovation challenges as pivotal engagement tools, including coordinating logistics, judging frameworks, and participation of mentors and judges in collaboration with State-Level Coordinators.
• Provide continuous mentorship and venture-building assistance to incubated startups, facilitating access to resources and designing commercialisation routes to foster sustainable revenue or investment readiness.
• Monitor venture progress and supply outcome metrics to the Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist for quarterly reports.

Candidate Profile

• A minimum of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited university; further certifications or qualifications are advantageous.
• Proven experience in designing or implementing incubation or acceleration programmes targeting early-stage startups.
• Expertise in planning and executing large-scale hackathons, pitch events, or innovation challenges.
• Strong background in delivering business development training, capable of instructing non-specialists in venture planning, market evaluation, and growth strategies.
• Hands-on experience in supporting or coordinating mentorship for early-stage ventures.
• Adept at operating across multiple institutions and different states, accommodating a dispersed programme model.
• Preferred qualifications include prior involvement in donor-funded or accelerator programmes, familiarity with digital or creative entrepreneurship sectors, existing professional networks of mentors, judges, or investors, and understanding of commercialisation or investment-readiness frameworks for startups.