Acecore, a Nigerian startup that builds home energy storage systems, won TC Battlefield 2026 at Moonshot by TechCabal in Lagos on Thursday, October 29, taking home the $10,000 grand prize.
Supplya, which gives informal retailers stock on credit, came second and won $5,000.
Navidyn, a maritime robotics startup, came third with $2,500.
Caleb Iwuoha, Acecore’s founder and chief executive, told the judges at Wednesday’s final that the system’s casing and battery management software were “all built here in Nigeria by our very own hands.” Acecore sells a home battery system and a smart socket that lets users control their appliances.
It says its system costs more than 20% less than comparable products, and a partner bank lets customers pay in instalments The startup is building locally in a market that imports most of its power hardware.
Nigeria imported 1,721 megawatts of solar panels from China in the 12 months to June 2025, making it Africa’s second-largest importer after South Africa, according to the energy think tank Ember.
The three winners were chosen from 10 finalists that also included Growwr, Kuraway, Fertitude, Lena, QiqiFarms, Riwe and Swiftway Shippers.
The judges were Folakemi Osho, general manager of HoaQ; Elijah Shokenu, head of ventures at SWIT; Kosen Kenta, principal at Antler; and Adeniyi Adebayo, chief business officer of Yango Group,....
