StartupLab Graduating Cohort Report 2026: What 5 Founders Built in 12 Weeks in Jos

By: indexprima

September 21, 2026

Image Source: StartupLab

On August 28, 2026, StartupLab in Jos, Plateau State, concluded its inaugural 12-week startup incubator cohort. Designed to bridge the critical gap between early-stage founder conviction and market validation, the intensive program guided five entrepreneurs through customer discovery, product iteration, business architecture, and live deployment.

Over the 12-week runway, founders stress-tested their assumptions, refined their go-to-market strategies, and transitioned raw ideas into live, functioning products with early user traction and waitlists.

The 5 Ventures: From Early Conviction to Live Products

The graduating cohort spans digital financial tools, market digitization, service booking, personal finance, and legaltech solutions:

TallyBooks (Ifemade): Rebranded from Ifemade Kunut Consults, TallyBooks provides simplified digital accounting software engineered specifically for small business owners who struggle with co-mingling personal and business finances. The platform currently has 60 small businesses onboarded to its waitlist.
Mai Adashe (Oghenetega Sawyerr): Founded by an experienced accountant inspired by traditional community savings schemes (Esusu/Adashe), Mai Adashe digitizes paper-based group savings for unbanked informal merchants. By replacing paper tracking cards with tamper-proof digital records, the platform eliminates record-loss disputes and helps market traders establish alternative credit histories. Mai Adashe currently serves approximately 3,000 market vendors.
HairMela (Jeffery and Jane): Developed to eliminate long queue times at beauty salons and barbershops, HairMela provides a direct booking and scheduling interface connecting clients with local service providers. The platform currently manages active bookings across five partner salons.
My MoneyPadi (Christine Vihishima): Transitioning from her financial coaching practice The Money Mechanic, Vihishima built My MoneyPadi to help young Africans build consistent financial habits through structured accountability systems. Having validated demand through over 250 sales of a physical financial tracker, the digital minimum viable product (MVP) is currently undergoing user feedback testing.
Covera (Lemuel and Nate): Originally conceived as Ratio AI (an ambitious judicial analytics platform), Lemuel executed a strategic pivot after recognizing early-stage data access constraints. Refocusing on immediate market needs, he built Covera, an automated platform enabling small business owners and legal practitioners to draft, generate, and execute legally binding contracts. Covera currently maintains a 35-business waitlist and has secured a strategic partnership with the Nigerian Bar Association (Jalingo Branch).

Operations, Governance, and Ecosystem Scaling

Beyond product engineering, the StartupLab curriculum focused heavily on institutional governance, unit economics, operational continuity, and financial management. Expert mentors worked directly with founders to build scalable operational structures capable of functioning independently of the core founder.

During the cohort closing dinner, StartupLab Founder and CEO Moses Amama commended the resilience of the graduating founders, noting that their execution drive and willingness to adapt under market feedback set a strong foundation for future startup cohorts in North-Central Nigeria.

All five ventures are preparing for their official Demo Day, where they will present their validated traction models to angel investors, venture funds, and ecosystem stakeholders.