VentureBuilder Naija
The venture school built for Nigeria
A 24-week school for people building a business in Nigeria. The curriculum treats power cuts, exchange-rate swings, regulation and tight data budgets as normal operating conditions, and takes you from an idea to a business plan you can defend.
Founders at the start
People with a business idea or a young business, graduates of our certifications who want to work for themselves, and institutions that want a structured route into enterprise for their students or staff.
- Credential
- Certified Venture Builder — Naija (CVB-N)
- Length
- 24 weeks in six modules
- How it runs
- Online and self-paced, with six AI faculty
- To pass
- A weighted score of 80% or more
- Fee
- Week 1 is free. The full programme is ₦60,000, paid once
- Institutions
- Seat codes for schools, hubs and employers
A case every week, then your own venture
- Each week opens with a real company's story in which you make the founder's decision and defend it. Cases include iROKOtv, Kobo360, PiggyVest, Chowdeck, Moniepoint, Paystack, Flutterwave, BUA and MTN.
- A quiz, a practical lab and a graded assignment follow, each applied to your own business.
- Your work collects in a Venture Workspace that becomes your business plan.
- In the Pitch Room you pitch and answer three hard questions drawn from your own materials.
Six modules, twenty-four weeks
Foundations (Naija Edition)
- Week 1: The Naija Hustle Mindset vs. Structured Entrepreneurship
- Week 2: Opportunity Recognition in Nigerian Markets
- Week 3: Customer Discovery — Beating the "It Is Well" Wall
- Week 4: Problem-Solution Fit — The Naija One-Pager
Business Modeling & Strategy (Nigeria)
- Week 5: The BMC — Aligning with Local Realities
- Week 6: Crafting a USP in a Price-Sensitive, Copycat Market
- Week 7: Competitive Analysis in Nigeria’s Red Ocean Markets
- Week 8: Lean Startup — The Low-Budget Nigerian MVP
Marketing & Sales (Nigeria)
- Week 9: Brand Identity & Nollywood Storytelling
- Week 10: Digital Marketing on a Low-Data Budget
- Week 11: Sales Funnels, POS Agents & the Kolo CRM
- Week 12: Pricing Psychology & the Bargaining Culture
Financial Planning (Nigeria)
- Week 13: Financial Statements Under FX Volatility
- Week 14: Funding — From "Mummy’s Soup Money" to VC
- Week 15: Unit Economics — The Okada Driver’s CAC & LTV
- Week 16: Projections with "CBN Whiskers" (Scenario Planning)
Operations & Legal (Nigeria)
- Week 17: Supply Chain — Potholes, Checkpoints & Cold Chains
- Week 18: Legal Structures & Regulatory Landmines (CAC, NAFDAC, CBN)
- Week 19: Contracts & "Agreement" Culture
- Week 20: Risk Management — Security, Fraud & 419
Pitching & Scaling (Nigeria)
- Week 21: The Pitch Deck — Tailored for Nigerian/African VCs
- Week 22: Scaling — From Lagos Mainland to Kano
- Week 23: Exit Strategies — The Paystack Dream
- Week 24: Capstone — The Naija Business Plan Finale
Graded every week
Quizzes count for 20% of the final score, assignments for 40% and the capstone business plan for 40%. Assignments are marked against published rubrics, with written feedback, and can be resubmitted. A final score of 80% or more earns the certificate, which carries an ID that anyone can verify.
You take The Ready Mindset assessment at the start. It names the personal barriers most likely to stop you, and the Coach works on them with you through all 24 weeks.
Prof
Leads the weekly case and the cold calls.
Coach Chidi
Accountability and resilience, built on your Ready Mindset results.
Auntie Kemi
Finance. Every model is run at two exchange rates.
Oga Investor
A sceptical Lagos investor who runs the Pitch Room.
Mama Nkechi
A market customer for practising real interviews.
Barrister Ade
Registration, regulation and contracts.
Start VentureBuilder Naija
Week 1 is free. Institutions that want seats for a group can enquire through the admissions team.