Telecom
MarkHack 2.0 Returns With Prize Pool Of $10,000
Eko Innovation Centre has announced the return of MarkHack, Nigeria’s first hackathon at the intersection of media, marketing, and tech at a launch event held at the Eko Innovation Centre, Ikoyi, Lagos, over the weekend.
Following the success of MarkHack 1.0, this year’s edition, MarkHack 2.0, promises to redefine the future of marketing and media by fostering innovation and collaboration among professionals, students, and entrepreneurs.
L-R: Lolu Desalu, Chief Marketing Officer, CMO, Filmhouse Group; Iquo Ukoh, Managing Director, Entod Marketing; Victor Afolabi, Founder, Eko Innovation Centre and Curator, MarkHack 2.0; Hannah Oyebanjo, Managing Director, Redwood Consulting; Babatunde Fatai, Senior XR & Metaverse Engr., MTN Nigeria, at the official launch of MarkHack 2.0 at Eko Innovation Centre, Ikoyi, Lagos, held over the weekend.
The hackathon aims to provide media and tech solutions that can disrupt marketing in key focus areas such as Consumer Experience, Media Consumption, Consumer Interaction, Trade and Retail Engagement, Analytics and Metrics, Events Marketing, Media Monetization, and Content Creation.
With the creative industry being Nigeria’s second-largest employer and the potential to generate 7 million jobs by 2025, Victor Afolabi, the Founder of Eko Innovation Centre and Convener of MarkHack 2.0, emphasized the importance of innovation in steering the industry’s growth.
He stated, “The rise of digital media, social platforms, and technology usage has made the creative industries one of the most dynamic sectors globally.
“MarkHack 2.0 provides a platform for collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking to disrupt the creative market and to provide a platform for them to showcase their ideas to Potential Investors.”
The call for participation garnered an overwhelming response, with 1,365 participants from 92 locations across Europe, Asia, and Africa submitting their entries. From the registered participants, 230 teams were formed to brainstorm innovative ideas, concepts, and prototypes in three focus areas: Immersive Experience (XR) -57 teams, Content Creation- 119 Teams , and Robo Marketing- 54 Teams.
The MarkHack 2.0 pitch event will be judged by 22 industry experts, who will select the top ten teams to advance to the finals. The final winners, chosen by a panel of seven esteemed jurors, will share a prize pool of $10,000 and gain the opportunity to join the Eko Innovation Centre accelerator programme with up to $50,000 equity investment.
The launch event featured a keynote address by Hannah Oyebanjo, Managing Director of Redwood Consulting, titled “Marketing and Media in the Creative Economy: Trends and Innovative Solutions for a Future Ready Industry.”
Oyebanjo highlighted the digital evolution of marketing and the potential of technologies such as AI, AR, VR, and gamification in creating new opportunities for engaging consumers.
“The age-old dichotomy between traditional and new marketing are telltale signs of the fluid nature of Marketing. Marketing evolved from the 5ps to 8Ps (with Service based offerings). But the future is a revolution when even what we call ‘New Marketing’ today, will become ‘Old Skool’!”
She added that from the 5Ps of traditional marketing to the Fusion, Hybrids, Ad-ons, Content, Experiential of new Marketing, the industry is headed for a more disruptive world of Web 3.0, AI, AR, VR, Gamification, etc.
The MarkHack 2.0 launch event had in attendance distinguished members of the marketing and media industry, leading industry professionals, innovators, entrepreneurs, tech enthusiasts and thought leaders on marketing and tech.
The Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Innovation and Technology, Tubosun Alake graced the launch event along with Mrs Iquo Uko, Managing Director, Entod Marketing/ IQ Food Platter; Segun Ogunleye, General Manager Marketing, Seven Up Bottling Company; Temitope Ekundayo, Chief Executive Officer, Printivo Limited and Tola Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi, Marketing Director, Pladis Global and
Others include Lolu Desalu, Chief Marketing Officer, CMO, Filmhouse Group and Babatunde Fatai, Senior XR & Metaverse Engr., MTN Nigeria who both thrilled attendees in an enlightening fireside chat at the official launch of MarkHack 2.0, Bolaji Junaid, Founder/ CEO, Whyfinite, among others.
All roads will lead to the MarkHack 2.0 grand finale on the 7th of July, 2023 at the Oriental Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos. The event is expected to have in attendance dignitaries, industry leaders, tech enthusiasts, innovators, investors, marketing directors, brand owners, managing directors to witness the emergence of the next big thing in marketing and technology.
MarkHack 2.0 is powered by Eko Innovation Centre and supported by GDM Group, the Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria, Hazon Holdings and other partners.
Lynda Saint-Nwafor, chief Enterprise business officer, MTN Nigeria, has assured the network subscribers that the new end-user billing system for the use of USSD services will jot affect them.
USSD, otherwise Unstructured Supplementary Service Data codes are commonly used for banking transactions, airtime recharges, and other mobile services.
The telco said that there is no significant impact or change other than the fact that they will now pay the same N6.98 per session (120 seconds) with their airtime instead of direct bank debit.
Saint-Nwafor, said this during a chat with MTN MIP fellows, explaining that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have ordered telecom operators to ensure that the new billing model resolves trust issues and ensures transparency in the billing process.
“Our regulator insisted that at the end of every month, we are going to be providing history and statistics on the performance of the service across the board”, she explained.
Saint-Nwafor added that the new billing model has standardized messaging across all operators and ensures consistent communication with customers.
“We will take all the error codes and map them into messages that are standardised across the board. So, if you initiate a transaction, you will know if it is failing. And, when the transaction fails, you will know if it is from your bank or the telco,” she explained.
The U.S. government has recovered $225 million in what is now the largest seizure of funds linked to a cryptocurrency investment scam.
In a statement released Wednesday, June 18, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the recovery followed an extensive investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service, using blockchain analysis and other forensic tools. The statement did not confirm whether any arrests had been made.
According to the authorities, the stolen funds originated from fraudulent cryptocurrency investment schemes that tricked victims into believing they were making legitimate investments. More than 400 individuals around the world, including dozens in the United States, were reportedly affected.
The operation involved a sophisticated money laundering network that carried out hundreds of thousands of blockchain transactions to obscure the source and ownership of the stolen assets.
“These scams prey on trust, often resulting in extreme financial hardship for the victims,” said Shawn Bradstreet, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Secret Service office in San Francisco.
Bradstreet added that U.S. officials hope the recovered funds can eventually be returned to the rightful victims.
Cryptocurrency investment fraud accounted for over $5.8 billion in reported losses in 2024 alone, according to the statement.
In a rousing declaration that is electrifying minds across the continent, Hon. Nnaemeka Ani, Special Adviser on ICT to Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has called for a homegrown digital revolution under the banner “Africa Will Rise: By Code, By Courage, By Us.”
Hon. Nnaemeka Ani
The message, part challenge, part philosophical—seeks to galvanize African innovators to move beyond buzzwords and build technology with impact and legacy in mind.
“Let’s stop building for hype. Let’s start building for legacy,” Ani urged while speaking to ICT journalists over the weekend. “Let’s stop waiting for someone else. Let’s start creating the future—on our own terms.”
At the heart of Ani’s vision is a shift from tech consumerism to tech authorship. With innovation hubs sprouting across cities like Enugu, Lagos, Kigali, Jo’Burg, and Nairobi, and a growing community of developers, engineers, and entrepreneurs determined to solve Africa’s unique challenges, the movement is already taking shape.
Ani emphasized that Africa’s future lies not in flashy apps or international admiration but in persistent, intentional solutions that uplift communities—solutions that digitize public services, bridge rural-urban divides, empower women and youth, and build resilience in food and climate systems.
“We have the talent,” he said. “Now it’s time to harness it—to stop building for likes and start building for lasting impact.”
With support from leaders like Ani and rising momentum in Africa’s tech corridors, it seems that a new chapter is being written—one line of code at a time.
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