WootLab is a premier digital technology company dedicated to driving growth and digital transformation across Africa. Known for delivering cutting-edge technical solutions and premium software development services, we pride ourselves on building deep, collaborative relationships that ensure our clients and partners succeed from start to finish.

To further scale our impactful programs, we are seeking a highly strategic, creative, and action-oriented leader to fill the role of Incubation, Acceleration and Business Development Lead. This is a brilliant opportunity for a seasoned venture builder or startup ecosystem champion to shape the future of emerging entrepreneurs across 10 distinct Centres of Excellence.

About the Role

As the Incubation, Acceleration and Business Development Lead, you will own the design and execution of our program's post-training pathway. Your mission is to take promising beneficiaries who have completed foundational training and transform their raw talent and ideas into investment-ready or revenue-generating ventures.

This is a highly focused, standalone role centered purely on incubation delivery, business development skill-building, and hands-on startup support. Note that this position is distinct from our research commercialization and intellectual property advisory functions, allowing you to focus entirely on venture building, ecosystem engagement, and startup acceleration.

Key Responsibilities

Your responsibilities will span several key pillars of our startup enablement strategy:

Incubation and Acceleration Pathway Design: Build the program's framework, defining clear progression and eligibility criteria for beneficiaries transitioning from training to active incubation. You will structure cohorts, set milestones, and establish support touchpoints across all 10 Centres of Excellence.
Business Development Training: Develop and deliver tailored training materials focusing on market validation, early-stage financial literacy, business planning, and growth strategies for founders in the digital and creative industries.
Hackathons and Pitch Sessions: Design, coordinate, and execute flagship events—such as hackathons, innovation challenges, and pitch competitions—to act as high-impact engagement and selection funnels. You will collaborate with State-Level Coordinators to manage local execution and external mentor/judge involvement.
Startup Support and Commercialization: Provide hands-on advisory services to incubated startups, coordinating mentorship networks and directing founders toward sustainable revenue or investment readiness. You will also track progress data to feed into quarterly Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) reports.

Candidate Profile

To succeed in this role, you should be a proactive ecosystem builder with a proven track record of nurturing early-stage talent. The baseline requirements include:

Education: Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. Additional certifications in business administration, entrepreneurship, or project management are highly advantageous.
Experience: Demonstrated history of designing or leading startup incubation, acceleration, or venture-building programs.
Event Management: Hands-on experience designing and executing hackathons, pitch sessions, or innovation challenges at scale.
Training Skills: Exceptional ability to break down complex business and financial concepts into practical, actionable steps for non-specialist founders.
Adaptability: Comfort working across multiple states and institutions in a highly distributed delivery model.

Preferred Qualifications

Previous experience working with donor-funded initiatives or global accelerator networks.
A deep understanding of the digital and creative-sector entrepreneurship landscape.
An existing network of startup mentors, judges, and seed investors.
Familiarity with standard commercialization or investment-readiness frameworks.

Method of Application

If you are passionate about building the next generation of African tech and creative entrepreneurs, we would love to hear from you. Interested candidates should submit their application to hello@wootlab.ng, containing the following details:

A detailed CV.
A cover letter highlighting your relevant experience in venture building and incubation design.
Evidence of relevant certifications.
Contact details of three professional referees.