Two weeks to prove it.
Submit the problem you want to solve. We read every complete entry, shortlist the strongest teams, and bring them together to build. The best leave with seed investment and a place in Cohort 01.
- Seed investment
- $15,000
- Up to, shared among the winners
- Format
- Hybrid
- Online across Africa, final in Lagos
- Teams
- 1 to 5
- Solo entrants can be matched
- Entry
- Free
- No fee, no rights taken in your idea
Timeline
From submission to Cohort 01.
Now
Submissions open
Submit an idea, a working prototype or a company in its first months.
Sun 25 Oct
Submissions close
23:59 West Africa Time. Late entries are not accepted.
26 Oct to 1 Nov
Screening
Every complete submission is read and scored against the same five questions.
From 2 Nov
Shortlist announced
Shortlisted teams hear by email, with the hackathon brief. Everyone else hears too.
Mid-November
The hackathon
Build online with mentors, then present at the final in person in Lagos.
Dec 2026 or Jan 2027
Cohort 01
The strongest teams are invited into the ten-week Forge programme.
Format
Hybrid. Build anywhere, finish in Lagos.
The widest possible pool, ending in one room. Distance should not decide who gets in, but a company is built by people who can work together face to face.
- 01
Submit
Online, from anywhere. About 25 minutes.
- 02
Screening
Every complete entry read and scored on the same five questions.
- 03
Online build
Shortlisted teams build with Forge Partners on hand, and teams form for solo entrants.
- 04
Lagos final
Finalists present in person to the Forge Investment Committee, partners and invited investors.
Tracks and stages
Where you are building, and how far along.
Pick the closest track. Ideas outside the four tracks are welcome if the problem is real.
AI and business technology
Intelligent products and infrastructure for African businesses and consumers.
Fintech and financial infrastructure
Better ways for people and businesses to move, manage and access money.
Events, creators and community
Infrastructure for Africa's events, entertainment, creator and community economy.
Commerce, logistics and markets
Better ways for goods, people and services to move through African markets.
Every stage is welcome
Earlier is not a disadvantage.
Stage 1
Idea
A problem you understand and a direction to solve it.
Stage 2
Prototype
Something that works, even roughly.
Stage 3
Early users
Real people using it, paying or not.
Stage 4
Early revenue
Customers paying, however small.
What you submit
Four short sections. No deck required.
If you have a demo, a prototype or a deck, link it. If you do not, you are not at a disadvantage.
About you
Name, contact details, where you are, and a link to anything you have made.
Your team
Solo or a team of up to 5. Solo entrants can ask to be matched.
Your idea
The problem, who has it, how you would solve it, and what you have done so far.
You as a builder
Three short answers about how you work. They tell us more than any pitch deck.
Judging
Five questions, asked of every entry.
Each is scored from one to five by trained reviewers. The same five questions guide the shortlist and the final.
- 01A real problemIs the problem real, sized and unsolved, and have you spoken to the people who have it?
- 02A credible solutionCan it be built, and what is the fastest path to something people can use?
- 03A route to customersHow will it reach the people who will pay for it?
- 04The right teamCan this team carry it for years, not weeks?
- 05A businessCan it make money on its own, without subsidy or goodwill?
Up to $15,000
in seed investment, shared among the winning teams.
- An invitation into Cohort 01, the ten-week Forge programme.
- Office hours with Forge Partners, the operators who build alongside Forge ventures.
- A route to Coetara's audience, distribution and payments infrastructure.
Seed investment is made on standard terms shared with the winning teams in advance, after due diligence. Forge decides how the pool is shared and may award less than the full amount. Subject to the hackathon terms.
Rules in brief
- Entrants must be 18 or over.
- One submission per person. Team members appear on one submission only.
- Ventures must be early: no institutional venture funding raised.
- You keep full ownership of your idea and your work.
- Submissions close Sunday 25 October 2026, 23:59 WAT. Late entries are not accepted.
- Shortlisted teams must take part in the online build to be considered for the final.
The full rules are in the hackathon terms.
Ready? It takes about 25 minutes.
Submit your idea