What Bet9ja Foundation does

Bet9ja Foundation is a Nigerian-registered charitable organization established in 2022 by Bet9ja (Nigeria's leading online bookmaker, operated by KC Gaming) to consolidate and expand the parent company's philanthropic activities in Nigeria. The Foundation operates five core program pillars: Healthcare Development, Education Development, Community Infrastructure, Sports Development, and Youth Empowerment. Its flagship offerings include the Undergraduate Scholarship (full tuition support for high-CGPA students at public Nigerian universities), the ScaleUp Business Accelerator (non-dilutive grants of up to ₦3 million plus a ₦2M Pitch Night prize for early-stage Nigerian businesses), and the Graduate Employability and Enterprise Summit (GEES), a one-day employability and entrepreneurship event for recent graduates.

The Foundation functions as a grant-making and program-delivery non-profit, not a technology business; its core technology is described as not applicable, and operations center on direct project execution (healthcare material donations, dental outreach, borehole installations, sports competitions, classroom construction) supplemented by an online grant application portal (app.bet9jafoundation.org). It employs 17 staff and is headquartered in Lagos at CashCraft Tower, Alagomeji, Yaba. Beneficiary segments include Nigerian university students, early-stage entrepreneurs, recent graduates, and underserved communities across all 36 states and the FCT.

The Foundation's business model is non-commercial: all programs are provided at no cost to beneficiaries, and the entity is entirely funded by its parent company Bet9ja. Cumulative program investment since inception exceeds ₦1.2 billion across 230+ projects in 34+ states, reaching over 100,000 Nigerians. Governance is via a mixed Board of Trustees including Bet9ja's MD/CEO Dr Ayo Ojuroye and Executive Director Ada Cuomo, with marketing and operational alignment driven through KC Gaming.

Name

Bet9ja Foundation

Legal name

Bet9ja Foundation

Website

https://bet9jafoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bet9ja Foundation is a Nigerian non-profit established by Bet9ja (KC Gaming) that delivers scholarships, entrepreneurship grants, employability programs, and community projects across Nigeria's 36 states, serving students, early-stage entrepreneurs, graduates, and underserved communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Foundation and Social Impact Programs

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Educational Support Services (611710)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Charitable foundation
• Corporate philanthropy
• Scholarship programs
• Community development grants
• Social impact programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lagos

HQ country

Nigeria

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bet9ja Foundation is a charitable organization that awards scholarships to high-achieving Nigerian university students, provides non-dilutive grants and mentorship to early-stage entrepreneurs through the ScaleUp Business Accelerator, and runs community development projects across healthcare, education, infrastructure, sports, and youth empowerment. All offerings are provided free of charge to beneficiaries, funded by the foundation's parent company Bet9ja.

Product overview

Bet9ja Foundation is a charitable organization established by Bet9ja (Nigeria's leading online bookmaker) offering a portfolio of social impact programs focused on healthcare, education, community infrastructure, sports development, and youth empowerment. The Foundation's core offerings include the Undergraduate Scholarship (providing full tuition support for high-achieving university students), the ScaleUp Business Accelerator (offering non-dilutive grants and mentorship to early-stage Nigerian businesses), and the Graduate Employability and Enterprise Summit (a career development event for graduates). These programs are complemented by direct community projects including medical equipment donations, dental outreach, sports competitions, vocational training, borehole installations, and solar lighting projects across Nigeria.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Scholarship A scholarship program providing full tuition support for students in their 3rd or 4th year at public Nigerian universities with a CGPA of 4.0 or above, along with monthly stipends, book allowances, and mentorship. Targeted at high-achieving Nigerian undergraduate students facing financial barriers to completing their education.
• ScaleUp Business Accelerator A flagship entrepreneurship program providing non-dilutive grant funding of up to ₦3 million, structured training, mentorship, and market access to early-stage Nigerian SMEs and startups (operating at least 6 months with revenue). Selected businesses also compete in a Pitch Challenge for an additional ₦2 million prize. Total commitment of ₦33 million for the ScaleUp 2.0 cohort (11 startups at ₦3M each).
• Graduate Employability and Enterprise Summit (GEES) A one-day event designed to empower recent Nigerian graduates with essential knowledge, skills, resources, and networking opportunities for the competitive job market, featuring expert speakers, interactive workshops, and pitch competitions. Over 400+ graduates have been empowered through GEES.
• Healthcare Development Program A healthcare program addressing primary and maternal health, health manpower and education, health technologies and equipment, and healthcare products distribution including medical equipment and infrastructure development. Initiatives include dental outreach (e.g., Smiles for All in Ebute Meta) and healthcare materials donations (e.g., Ibadan).
• Community Infrastructure Development Program A comprehensive initiative improving access to basic infrastructure including clean water, sanitation infrastructure, and community development centers across Nigerian communities.
• Sports Development Program A sports promotion program with focus on football, basketball, and table tennis including grassroots sports development, infrastructure improvement, and capacity building for coaches and sports administrators. Initiatives include Women's U-20 Community Football Competition in Ijero and the Community Football Competition in Ifo.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over ₦1.2 billion invested in Nigerian communities
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Shell Foundation: UK-based corporate foundation of Shell funding enterprise-based solutions to development challenges including access to energy and healthcare — thematically comparable as a corporate foundation deploying catalytic capital for social impact in emerging markets.
• Rise for Africa / African Philanthropy Forum: African philanthropy ecosystem convener and capacity-builder for African foundations and HNW donors — adjacent peer that the Bet9ja Foundation could engage as a peer-learning and co-funding partner.

Direct peers

• Dangote Foundation: Nigeria's largest corporate foundation, funding health, education, and economic empowerment programs across Nigeria — directly comparable as a Nigerian corporate foundation with multi-pillar social investment mandate and national geographic reach.
• Tony Elumelu Foundation: Pan-African grantmaking and entrepreneurship program (TEF Entrepreneurship Programme) awarding $5,000 seed capital to African entrepreneurs — directly comparable to Bet9ja Foundation's ScaleUp accelerator in target audience, grant mechanics, and African entrepreneurship focus.
• MTN Foundation: Corporate foundation of MTN Nigeria funding health, education, and economic empowerment — directly comparable as a Nigerian corporate-backed foundation with similar program pillars and a strong digital/application infrastructure for grants.
• Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa): Nigerian-originated African philanthropy initiative providing grants across health, education, and social development — directly comparable in funding scale (multi-million-dollar grants), corporate-foundation structure, and African continental mandate.

Emerging players

• Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB): Nigeria's leading innovation ecosystem player running accelerator, pre-seed investment, and capacity-building programs for African startups — an emerging-player peer intersecting with Bet9ja's ScaleUp in the early-stage Nigerian startup support space.

Broad incumbents

• Mastercard Foundation: One of the largest global foundations with major Africa-focused programs in education, youth employment, and financial inclusion (e.g., Young Africa Works) — a broader incumbent peer with overlapping youth-empowerment and entrepreneurship mandates across Africa.
• AECF (Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund): Pan-African challenge fund providing grant and concessional capital to innovative enterprises in agriculture, energy, and youth employment — a broader-incumbent peer in the African grantmaking-for-entrepreneurship category.

Regional players

• Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF): Lagos-state government fund providing loans and grants to Lagos-based entrepreneurs and SMEs — a regional peer with overlapping early-stage SME funding mission but operating in a single Nigerian state.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bet9jafoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bet9ja Foundation