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Cascador, a growth platform focused on Nigerian entrepreneurs, has selected 10 businesses for its 2026 ScaleUp Program, a 12-week accelerator designed to help established companies strengthen their operations, refine their strategies and prepare for their next phase of expansion.
The businesses were selected from more than 1,000 applications and span sectors including proptech, clean energy, agriculture, healthcare, beauty and wellness, tourism, critical minerals and food production.
The latest cohort forms part of Cascador’s efforts to build a pipeline of Nigerian businesses that have demonstrated market traction but require additional capital, strategic guidance and leadership support to scale sustainably.
The selection comes two weeks after Cascador partnered with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Youth Development through the Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA) to launch an initiative aimed at supporting young entrepreneurs in building stronger and more sustainable businesses.
“The next chapter of Nigeria’s entrepreneurial story will be about what happens when proven businesses get the support they need to scale,” said David DeLucia, Co-Founder of Cascador.
“That is the opportunity this cohort brings, where visionaries, innovators and impact-driven leaders can grow their businesses sustainably with lasting economic value.”
Businesses selected across key sectors
The 2026 cohort brings together businesses addressing challenges and opportunities across several areas of Nigeria’s economy.
The selected companies include Venco, a digital platform providing payment, utility, communication and operational management solutions for multi-tenanted communities; SunFi, a clean energy financing platform; and ColdHubs, which operates solar-powered cold-storage facilities designed to help farmers, traders and food businesses reduce post-harvest losses.
The cohort also includes EHA Clinics, which provides integrated primary healthcare, digital health, pharmacy and home-care services, and Beauty Hut Africa, a technology-enabled beauty retail and distribution business.
Other selected companies are BEYOND Fitness, a wellness company; Ziba Beach Resort, an experience-focused leisure and tourism business; Tulay Africa, which connects international industrial buyers with African producers of export-grade critical minerals; Maanj Agric, which connects smallholder farmers with financing; and Finger Chops, a bakery focused on producing and distributing bread to households across Nigeria.
The diversity of the cohort reflects the growing role of growth-stage businesses in sectors ranging from digital services and clean energy to agriculture, healthcare and consumer markets.
12-week programme targets business growth
The selected companies will participate in a 12-week hybrid programme combining two weeks of in-person engagement with 10 weeks of virtual sessions for founders and their leadership teams.
The in-person component will include the programme launch and pitch week, while participants will receive one-on-one support from investors, African and international experts, and strategic partners.
Cascador CEO Trish Thomas said the programme would focus on helping businesses address the operational and leadership challenges that can emerge as companies move from early-stage growth to larger-scale operations.
“The founders in our 2026 ScaleUp program reflect the ambition, resilience and entrepreneurial talent driving Nigeria’s economy forward,” Thomas said.
“Their businesses are already creating jobs, generating value and spurring growth across some of the country’s most important sectors. Our focus now is helping them scale further and unlock their full potential, giving them the training, mentorship, networks and leadership skills needed to power their next phase of growth.”
The programme will involve detailed assessments across areas including finance, operations, legal structures and technology. The assessments are intended to identify weaknesses that could constrain expansion and allow Cascador to tailor its support to the specific needs of each participating company.
Founders to access funding and investor networks
Beyond training and mentorship, participants will gain access to Cascador’s network of advisers, venture capital firms, strategic partners and banking relationships.
The programme is designed to help founders sharpen their understanding of their customers while strengthening business models and operational systems needed to support sustainable expansion.
Selected businesses will also be eligible for follow-on financing through Cascador’s Catalytic Fund, which deploys up to $5 million annually in growth capital through local-currency debt, equity and guarantees.
The programme will conclude with a live Pitch Day, where participating businesses will compete for $50,000 in awards.
The combination of technical support, investor access and potential growth capital is aimed at addressing some of the constraints faced by Nigerian businesses that have moved beyond the earliest stages but require additional resources to expand.
Cascador builds growth-stage business pipeline
Since commencing operations in 2019, Cascador said it has supported more than 70 ventures that have collectively raised $125 million in capital.
Previous companies supported through its programmes include digital lending platform Sycamore, energy company Koolboks, mobility and logistics businesses Fex Delivery and Drive45 Mobility, and payments infrastructure provider Lenco.
The organisation’s continued focus on growth-stage companies highlights the importance of supporting businesses beyond the startup formation phase, particularly as Nigerian founders seek to build companies with stronger operational foundations and access to sustainable financing.
Cascador plans to run another ScaleUp cohort in spring 2027, with applications expected to open in November 2026.
For the 2026 cohort, the immediate objective is to convert existing market traction into stronger business systems, leadership capacity and scalable growth, potentially positioning the selected companies for larger investment and expansion opportunities.
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