The tech startups solving problems in Nigeria’s Delta State

Long defined by its oil industry, Nigeria’s Delta State is slowly becoming a hub for entrepreneurs, startups, and a burgeoning tech community. Two of its cities — Asaba and Warri — featured in a list of top 12 startup cities in the country’s South East and South South region according to a new report.

Startup activity in Delta State is also beginning to attract investor attention. In 2025, startups in the state raised $34,964, a modest but notable figure for an ecosystem still in its early stages. Early-stage investors such as Ocean Ridge Limited and the government-backed Delta Startups Limited are writing cheques in the $30,000 range, with much of the capital flowing to fintech ventures.

With an estimated population of 7.8 million — larger than that of European countries such as Estonia and Ireland — Delta has the demographic scale to support a thriving innovation ecosystem. Those countries, despite their relatively small populations, have built globally recognised startup hubs that collectively attract well over $1 billion in venture funding annually.

Driven by a young, entrepreneurial population, founders across Delta are building startups in financial services, food delivery, mobility, education, and other sectors. While the ecosystem remains nascent, a growing pipeline of founders, investors, and support organisations suggests that innovation activity in the state is steadily gathering momentum.

Below are some of the startups emerging from Delta State.

Hizo

Hizo is a Nigerian cross-border financial technology startup headquartered in Asaba, Delta State. It is led by Chiedu Victor. The startup raised $100,000 in seed funding through a friends and family round in June 2025. The startup enables Africans to spend their local currency in supported countries without converting it to dollars. It has obtained a Money Services Business (MSB) license in Canada and expanded to 14 African countries.

Trazo (formerly OliliFood)

Founded in February 2020 by Ikechukwu Nweze and co-founders Adinnu Benedict, Chiedu Victor, and Abanum Chukwuyenum, this delivery startup built a six-year following in Asaba and Warri before its rebrand in 2026. It claimed to have generated more than ₦2 billion in transaction value by 2026. The rebrand marks a pivot from a food-only platform to a full lifestyle utility app that covers groceries, pharmaceuticals, and household essentials. Trazo plans to expand into Nigeria’s most competitive tier-one markets, such as Lagos and Abuja in the near future.

Falconlite

A cross-border fintech headquartered in Effurun, Delta State, founded by Jeremiah Omonefe. It issues virtual USD/GBP/EUR/NGN accounts, prepaid dollar cards, multi-currency wallets, and also supports crypto-to-fiat conversion. Falconlite is incorporated in Delaware, US, while operating its marketing and sales teams out of Warri.

Pickmeup

Founded in November 2017 by Michael Okaredje and launched in January 2019, the Delta-founded mobility startup Pickmeup built its ride-hailing base in less popular cities such as Warri and Asaba. It has since expanded to neighbouring Edo, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Imo states. By 2021, it had over 50,000 app downloads and 10,000+ driver downloads and was named to Startup Grind’s global “Startups to Watch” list.

Cotrust Equity (Paypoli)

Founded in 2022. The micro-lending fintech is headquartered in Sapele, Delta State. It provides KYC-based credit plans to banked and unbanked micro-traders across Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa, using a hybrid model that blends digital automation with in-person agent interaction. 

VarsityScape

An edtech startup founded in 2019 by Daniel Idiare and Kenney Erimakonosine, VarsityScape is an AI-powered “Academy Operating System” letting institutions launch online academies in under an hour. VarsityScape placed second at the 2025 Web Summit PITCH competition in Lisbon, beating out over 2,700 global startups. 

Stustle

Founded in 2023 by Jane Agadia, a student at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE). The edtech and talent-community startup is headquartered in Warri. The platform’s name was coined from “Student” and “Hustle,” connecting students (and non-students) to part-time gig work. It runs programs and webinars to help unskilled students develop marketable skills.

TechTaste (techtaste.ng)

The food-tech venture was launched during the public product showcases in August 2025 at Asaba, under the umbrella of Delta Startups, an innovation ecosystem accelerator led by Charles Omordia. The concept is to create a physical-digital crossover space within innovation hubs. It aims to give tech founders, investors, operators, and developers a dedicated space to meet, chill, and collaborate over nutritious meals, drinks, and snacks.

Read also: “Your career is a business”: Inside the Delta State Innovation Hub’s Tech Talks

These startups have been supported by innovation hubs within the state providing access to mentorship, talent, workspaces, and vital networks.

Coriftech Solutions

An IT training and enterprise-software development company. It builds custom software, web platforms, and enterprise solutions and serves as one of the region’s technical training accelerators. Several of its staff are graduates of the Delta State University, suggesting that the hub benefits from a local talent pipeline. 

Waffi Hub

Also known as Warri Innovation Hub, this innovation center in Warri was founded by Daniel Nnamdi Ude, who also founded LessStress and Cendtrax. Ude describes his broader mission as “championing strategic and collaborative efforts to transform Delta State into Africa’s next innovation hub.” The hub catalyzes technologies and startups built by Africans to solve local or global problems.

Schoolville Academy

Schoolville Academy is a part of Schoolville Limited, an Asaba and Ughelli-based education technology company offering ICT training, school management systems, e-learning, and biometric solutions across Nigeria. Schoolville runs several tracks under its academy arm spanning AI, software engineering, cybersecurity, data analysis, cloud computing, robotics/IoT, and UI/UX.  

Hamplus Hub

A computer hub and technology company founded by Hampo JohnPaul A.C. and based in Abraka. Hamplus Hub opened in November 2020, alongside a scholarship program. It runs free monthly tech workshops, a secondary-school computer competition called DevUp, and paid courses in web development, python/data tools, and graphic design. It also spun out Abraka Mall, a local e-commerce marketplace for solopreneurs and roadside sellers across Ethiope East LGA, PassmyParcel, and myDelsu.

Although Delta State’s emerging startup ecosystem remains in its early stages, it is showing clear signs of potential. The ecosystem still faces significant challenges, including limited access to capital, with just one startup accounting for all recorded funding in 2025. Founders also continue to navigate infrastructure gaps, particularly around reliable internet access, which can limit growth and collaboration.

Despite these constraints, a growing community of entrepreneurs and the emergence of local support initiatives suggest the state is building momentum. Continued investment from government, private sector players, and ecosystem builders could help address some of these structural challenges.

With sustained support, Delta State’s major cities — Asaba and Warri — have the potential to become important contributors to Nigeria’s broader technology landscape.