Riding on the successful hosting of the past four editions and the feats achieved by winners, Heritage Bank is leading other sponsors to scout for ambitious entrepreneurs in this year’s edition of The Next Titan, an entrepreneurial reality TV show, which is now in its fifth season.
The TV reality show, which runs for 10 weeks, gives an opportunity to young talented Nigerians from 21-40 years who have great, innovative and unbeatable business ideas, to compete against one another in real-life entrepreneurial challenges in a bid to ultimately win N5 million and a brand new car to start their new business or to support their existing business.
Aside Heritage Bank, which headlines the new season as the lead sponsor, other sponsors include; Sifax Group, as the associate sponsor, while Ford Motors, Coscharis Motors, Airpeace Airline, Nikky Taurus, Afromedia Plc, and Hygeia HMO are all supporting sponsors.
Unveiling the new season during a media parley held recently at Ikeja, Mide Kunle-Akinlaja, executive producer, The Next Titan and managing director, Bravopoints International Limited, reiterated that the reality show was designed to provoke the entrepreneurial spirit of young Nigerians.
“Aside the entertainment aspect of the 10-week show, its importance lies in igniting entrepreneurial spirit and showcasing the possibility of entrepreneurship in transforming lives with just an idea that can be scaled to greatness with a market and with Nigeria’s population”, he said.
Explaining the modalities of the show, Kunle-Akinlaja said, “The process starts by allowing the contestants to pitch their business ideas through auditions at 4 major zones in Nigeria which are Abuja, PH, Enugu, and Lagos, from which the Top 50 are usually selected for Top 50 Boot Camp, before 16 final contestants with brightest ideas are shortlisted to live together for 10 weeks, and to compete by carrying out weekly evictions in the boardroom by the judges”.
The judges of the show remain the same and are top Nigerian business leaders such as Kyari Bukar, chairman, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Tonye Cole, CEO, Sahara Group and other captains of industries.
Speaking on the rationale for sustained sponsorship of the show, Fela Ibidapo, divisional head, corporate communications, Heritage Bank, noted that the objective of the show aligns with what the bank wants to do with the small and medium scale industries space, which is discovering and empowering talents to grow, create jobs and impact economy and society at large.
“We have many youths in Nigeria with great ideas but need platforms such as The Next Titan to move forward. We are supporting government and the economy by lifting people with ideas to become employers and impact society at large”, Ibidapo, who assured of continued support of the show, said.
On his part, Muyiwa Akande, corporate affairs manager, Sifax Group, disclosed that the group has continued to support the show because of the vision of the organisers to change the mindset of graduates from being job seekers to job creators, which also tally with Sifax Group’s vision of youth empowerment.
