Lagos Startup Expo 2.0 ignites Africa’s tech ecosystem with unprecedented connections
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The Landmark Centre in Victoria Island buzzed with innovation and ambition as the Lagos Startup Expo 2.0, organised by Techpoint Africa, concluded its two-day run on June 18-19, 2025.
Under the theme “Connect, Invest, and Innovate,” the event solidified its position as one of Africa’s premier platforms for startups, investors, and industry leaders to forge transformative partnerships.
Muyiwa Matuluko, co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Techpoint Africa, shared insights into the expo’s mission and impact, emphasising its role as a catalyst for real-world business outcomes.
“The original reason why Lagos Startup Expo was restarted was that people are tired of events where you just come, people speak,” Matuluko explained in an exclusive chat.
“They want to be able to meet people, seal deals, close deals, startups meeting corporates, corporates meeting startups. The whole idea is networking.” This vision of fostering meaningful connections drove the event’s design, blending hands-on product demos, masterclasses, and exclusive networking opportunities to bridge the gap between startups and industry giants.
The expo delivered on its promise, drawing thousands of attendees to explore innovations across fintech, healthtech, agritech, AI, and more.
Matuluko highlighted tangible outcomes from this year’s event and its predecessor.
“For example, the last time, one of our exhibitors had just launched a few months before and onboarded 2,000 users. Just like that,” he said.
“Anchor, who is also an exhibitor this time, got 70 B2B leads from this expo [in 2023]. And just now, too, I’m getting a lot of feedback.”
He also recounted a recent success story: “Someone who has been trying to close a deal with the lead sponsor, Haisic, met them here, and it happened.”
The masterclass series, a highlight for VIP pass holders, provided actionable insights for founders.
“For even the people that are coming to the masterclass, whether they got in by paying a full ticket or they got a discount, they are learning from founders that have done that,” Matuluko noted. “They’re like, ‘Oh, I actually learned.’”
Despite the event’s triumphs, Matuluko was candid about the challenges of organising such a large-scale gathering.
“You know how it is running conferences now. Sometimes you wonder why you’re doing this thing,” he admitted. “You end up either spending more than you actually [planned].”
Reflecting on a one-year hiatus in 2024, he explained, “The reason why we took a break last year was that was the first time we did an event and it was a minus. We were overwhelmed, doing too many of them. So we’re like, let’s take a step back and really understand what we are trying to do.”
This recalibration paid off, with Lagos Startup Expo 2.0 showcasing nearly 200 startups and attracting a diverse crowd of founders, investors, and tech enthusiasts.
While Matuluko aimed for 5,000 attendees, which is an ambitious increase from the 4,500 recorded at the 2023 event, he acknowledged the constraints of the venue.
“The space we’re using is limited, so we’re expecting 5,000. I can’t say if we hit that yet,” he said on June 19.
Regardless, the event’s impact was undeniable, with exhibitors like Haisic Nigeria presenting scalable energy systems tailored for local needs.
Partnerships played a crucial role in the expo’s success. Matuluko highlighted the diverse support from collaborators:
“One of our partners took care of the billboard. We’ve done events where partners took care of internet. Sometimes it’s what they actually do that is valuable to us, and we exchange value.”
These strategic alliances amplified the event’s reach and impact, ensuring a seamless experience for attendees and exhibitors alike.
Looking ahead, Matuluko remains optimistic about the expo’s future. “We [Techpoint] have been around for 10 years; we’ve been doing events for seven or eight of these 10 years, since 2017,” he said. “Whether it stays as it is or comes under a bigger name, we can do this for a long time.” His confidence stems from a decade of experience and a clear focus on delivering value to Africa’s tech ecosystem.
