In celebration of its fourth anniversary, Financial Services Innovators (FSI), the pioneering fintech brand in Africa, is set to honor ten exceptional campus ambassadors for their outstanding contributions to community development across Nigeria.
The brand, known for its commitment to fostering innovation in technology and finance startups, will reward these ambassadors with gift vouchers as a token of appreciation.
Aituaz Kola-Oladejo, the Executive Director of FSI, made this announcement during a press briefing in Lagos. She highlighted the pivotal role of the ambassadors in community development on their respective campuses, emphasizing the brand’s dedication to recognizing and rewarding such initiatives.
Furthermore, Kola-Oladejo revealed the FSI Innovation Challenge, a competition taking place within student communities across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
Winners of the challenge will receive exciting giveaway prizes, adding an extra layer of celebration to FSI’s milestone.
Reflecting on FSI’s accomplishments over the past four years, Kola-Oladejo proudly stated that the brand has left an indelible mark on five continents. With a community strength exceeding 8,200 members, including 45 foreign members from Africa, Asia, Europe, Central, and North America, FSI has solidified its position as a global force in the fintech space.
The brand’s strategic partnerships, including collaborations with the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), FintechNGR, and Mentorship Without Borders (WMB), have contributed to its recognition and acceptance within the highly competitive fintech ecosystem. These partnerships also underscore FSI’s commitment to providing free mentorship programs in software development, data science, and product management.
Apart from offering knowledge and technical support to its members, FSI has facilitated international exposure and competition victories for its startups. Additionally, three startups affiliated with FSI have successfully raised funds, showcasing the brand’s impact on fostering entrepreneurship.
Since its launch in October 2021, the FSI Talent Hunt initiative has yielded remarkable results, producing over 1,000 campus ambassadors through competitions. Recently, FSI introduced three virtual innovation labs in tertiary institutions, aiming to nurture and develop tech talents among students.
FSI’s business incubation platform has nurtured 55 startups, with ten already launching their products. The brand’s innovative sandbox, coupled with a vibrant community, has proven to be a cost-effective approach to product innovation and development.
Over 140 Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) have been developed in the FSI sandbox since its inception in 2020. Seventeen apps have been published in the Appstore, and more than 8,000 individuals have accessed 375 API endpoints on the FSI sandbox. Furthermore, the FSI hackathons have seen participation from over 487 teams.