Business strategist Colin MB Cooper has sponsored all 25 finalists of Hult Prize Nigeria through a 12-week investment readiness fellowship that takes them from the national finals to the global funding stage.
-- SHROPSHIRE, UK and LAGOS, NIGERIA — 3 July 2026 — Hult Prize Nigeria and business strategist Colin MB Cooper have launched a 12-week investment readiness fellowship for 25 Nigerian student founders. The programme began on 16 June and runs through to graduation on 8 September 2026. Cooper has sponsored all 25 places, so the founders take part at no cost.
The fellowship grew out of the Hult Prize Nigeria national finals in April, where Cooper served as a judge. Most startup competitions end when the trophy is handed over. The founders go home with recognition but no route into the rooms where funding decisions get made. This programme was built to close that gap.
Across seven live sessions, the cohort works through pitch architecture, investor psychology, funding strategy, capital structures, and the mechanics of closing a round. Every founder receives full access to Cooper's Investment Journey course, recordings and resources after each session, and selective warm introductions to investors for those who earn them. The aim is to carry the founders from the Hult Prize Digital Incubator through to the Global Finals as founders who can hold their own in any funding room.
"I judged the national finals in April. Six minutes a pitch, score the deck, thank the founder, bring in the next one," said Cooper. "What stayed with me wasn't the polish. It was how many of these founders were solving real problems in their own communities with almost no access to funding rooms. A trophy doesn't fix that. Twelve weeks of structured work with real investor pathways does."
"Our founders consistently prove they can build solutions that matter," said Olamide Otasanya, National Coordinator of Hult Prize Nigeria. "What they've been missing is a structured bridge between winning a competition and closing a round. This fellowship gives them exactly that, and it costs them nothing."
The programme runs on a deliberate rhythm of coaching and accountability: three 90-minute coaching sessions covering pitch architecture, funding strategy and closing the round, interleaved with monthly check-ins that keep every founder moving. Cooper will introduce the founders publicly over the twelve weeks through a spotlight series on LinkedIn, culminating in a graduation showcase in September.
About Colin MB Cooper he is a neuromarketing and human behaviour strategist with 28 years in business across 38 countries and more than 200 industries. He is the author of Insane Results, a TEDx speaker, and was named MSN's #1 Leading Speaker of 2025. His work sits at the bridge between business and education, and his Investment Journey programme teaches founders how investors actually make decisions. Learn more at https://colinmbcooper.com.
About Hult Prize Nigeria they are the national arm of the Hult Prize, the world's largest student social entrepreneurship competition. It identifies and champions Nigerian student founders building ventures that address real social and economic challenges, connecting them to training, mentorship and the global Hult Prize stage.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Colin MB Cooper: Colin Cooper, pr@colinmbcooper.com
Hult Prize Nigeria: Olamide Otasanya, publicrelations@hultprize-ng.com
Contact Info:
Name: Colin MB Cooper
Email: Send Email
Organization: Colin Cooper Inc
Website: https://colinmbcooper.com
Release ID: 89198557
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