The third and final expert webinar of the SHEnovation Hackathon 2026 wrapped up on a high note Saturday morning, bringing together two entrepreneurs whose stories were anything but ordinary. Organized by the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN), Lagos Chapter, the virtual session drew participants eager to sharpen their edge before the hackathon’s main event — and they got exactly that.
Before the speakers took the floor, the Director of Programmes, Engr. Dr. Olayinka Adewumi, in her opening address drew a clear line between APWEN’s broader vision and the specific goal of the SHEnovation Hackathon — helping women engineers move from ideas on paper to ventures that can attract real investment.
A Safety Moment from Engr. Adeoye Adeleke, MNSE, offered a lighter but timely reminder: virtual meetings have blurred the boundary between work and personal life, and physical wellbeing matters even on Zoom. She encouraged participants to stretch their wrists and waists, stay hydrated, and resist the urge to crank up speaker volumes to levels that could damage their hearing. Small habits, she noted, make a big difference.
The Chairman of APWEN Lagos, Engr. Bosede M. Oyekunle, FNSE, then took a moment to acknowledge the Immediate Past Chairman, Engr. Dr. Atinuke Owolabi, FNSE, whose vision gave birth to SHEnovation 2025 under the theme “From Concept to Capital.” The current edition, she noted, was building directly on that foundation — giving participants the tools to take a prototype and turn it into something an investor would actually write a cheque for.
Engr. Seun Oluwalade, CEO of Renewable Lifestyle Engineering and EV World Africa, commanded the room from the moment he began. His citation, read by the Chapter Secretary Engr. Suwebat O. Abubakar, MNSE, barely captured the full scope of what he has built. In his own words, the story was simpler and more honest: “One car, one sale, one company.”
Oluwalade described how EV World Africa entered the electric vehicle market in 2023, not just selling cars but tackling the entire ecosystem — charging infrastructure, maintenance, and operator training. He spoke of working with schools and businesses to transition away from diesel dependency, and of their expanding footprint across Nigeria and Ghana.
But what truly resonated with attendees was his framing of what entrepreneurship actually demands. He was direct:
“Those who take action are those who take ownership of the space.”
“Users want a solution, not a product.”
“If you have an idea, can you represent it on a page and it would still make sense?”
“All experts are experts of what was — not what will be.”
He closed by speaking specifically to the women in the room, highlighting the growing investor appetite for women-led startups in clean energy and sustainability. The opportunity, he said, was real — but it required a clear value proposition and the courage to step forward.
Guest Speaker: From Waste Collector to Tech Founder
If Oluwalade’s story was about scale, Joshua Ndaman Olayinka’s was about grit. The founder of BuyScrap Nigeria — and second runner-up at the MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge — didn’t arrive at entrepreneurship through a straight path. He studied mechanical engineering, then spent time working as a waste collector before recognizing that the e-waste sector in Lagos was badly broken and wide open for innovation.
His citation was read by Engr. Omoshalewa S. Keshinro, FNSE, before he unpacked a journey that was equal parts inspiring and sobering. He described the health hazards, law enforcement friction, and child labour he encountered in the informal waste sector — experiences that pushed him to build something more structured. The result was a web-based platform designed to bring order, traceability, and dignity to electronic waste management.
His advice to the hackathon participants was practical and sharp: pick a niche and go deep. Document everything, no matter how small. Build for local problems, but hold yourself to global standards.
During the Q&A — moderated by Engr. Uchechi Edosomwan, FNSE — he revealed the less glamorous secret behind attracting supporters to his mission: showing up at conferences, telling his story consistently, and letting people connect with the vision. Through that approach, he found volunteers, developers, legal support, and mentors — none of whom he could have paid for at the time.
The Chairman expressed genuine admiration for both speakers’ candour, and floated concrete next steps: an APWEN Lagos investor roundtable and industrial visits to the EV factory and partner schools.
Certificates of appreciation were presented to both speakers. Then came the announcement participants had been waiting for — a four-week virtual boot camp beginning Saturday, May 4, 2026, covering design thinking, digital technology, waste management, and business modeling. Attendance is compulsory for all SHEnovation Hackathon 2026 participants.
Engr. Mosope Adewuyi, MNSE, delivered the closing remarks, and the session ended as it always does — with participants reciting the Nigerian pledge.
The message of the day was unmistakable: passion alone is not enough. But passion backed by documentation, structure, and a genuine solution to a real problem? That is what investors are looking for — and what SHEnovation 2026 is determined to produce.