Validation Phase

A business the market chooses,
validated in the field,
proven with data

What matters more than a flawless plan on paper is the market's honest feedback. This stage moves past the classroom — meeting real customers, testing MVPs, and proving the path to success.

Method
Customer Dev · Lean
Tooling
AI · No-code · GA4
Output
Validated MVP

Section 01 — Customer Development

From hypothesis to conviction,
a three-step customer development drill

Read the market through interviews, measure reaction with an MVP, and refine direction with data — a tight three-step loop.

Customer Interview

Customer Interview

Starting from the Lean Canvas, founders meet real target customers face to face. It's the entry point for validating hypotheses with the actual demand and pain in the market.

Lean Canvas · In-depth Interview

MVP Market Test

MVP Market Test

Use AI and no-code tools to ship a focused prototype without long dev cycles. Real user reactions come in immediately, and product–market fit gets put to the test.

No-code · AI Prototyping

Data-Driven Pivot

Data-Driven Pivot

Visualize and analyze real metrics — acquisition, conversion, churn — and let the numbers steer the pivot. Direction changes are precise; completeness goes up.

GA4 · Funnel Analytics

Section 02 — Live Competition

Where ideas collide with innovation —
the ACE Hackathon

A real competition that takes on local social and industrial problems head-on. The first proving ground for solutions and the gateway to what comes next.

ACE Hackathon

Recurring contests on local
agri, climate, and mobility challenges

We run intense idea competitions (hackathons and makeathons) on the social and industrial challenges Nigeria faces today. Hands-on from team-building to instant PoC builds — judged solutions advance straight to the next stage.

Format
Recurring Hackathon · Makeathon
Duration
48–72 hour sprints
Evaluation
Mentor judging · Peer voting

Section 03 — Validation System

A validation system
that cuts failure and lifts win rates

Outcomes aren't accidents. Clear metrics and a dedicated mentor system push validation all the way through.

BM Advancement

80%+

01Outcome 01

80%+ teams reach BM maturity

Teams that pass rigorous market validation refine their business model with data so they can step into real investor rounds (IR). The KPI: 80%+ of cohorts hit the maturity bar.

Expert Coaching

1:1

02Outcome 02

Hands-on expert coaching (Tinkering)

Active startup operators and a CXO mentor pool sit with founders across the entire validation arc — from customer development to analytics — clearing blockers in 1:1 sessions with field-level feedback.

See It Live

Take a look at past hackathons on the ground

Photos and recaps of past hackathons and BM competitions are archived in the Activities gallery.