Recently, SV-NED Inc. spearheaded a six-day intensive training at the Oriental Hotel in Lagos, Nigeria, to groom tech talent in the country. Participating companies included Oracle Africa, IBM Nigeria, and HP Nigeria in efforts to uplift and inspire the next Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, or Larry Page. The program consisted of 100 participating guests, ranging from 30 to 45 years of age, and guided them on how to become entrepreneurs and future job creators. The goal was to foster each of their own independent ideas about how to take the Nigerian economy into an emerging market that will chip away at the astounding 18.8% unemployment rate.

This is the 2nd Immersion Program held by SV-NED Inc. and participants were welcomed by Founder and CEO Chief Temitope Ajayi aka Mama Diaspora, Professor Emeritus of Stanford University Dr. Sam Haddad, Founder of SV-Links, Silicon Valley; Angel Investor Miguel Casillas, and Advance Cyber Security Solution-Strategist and Executive of MPSPG, Sam Washington. The program lasted six full days from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Each day had a different agenda that revolved around creating self-sustainable products and services that can be homegrown out of Nigeria.

Participants of the immersion program were granted the opportunity to visit three tech giants: Oracle Africa, IBM Nigeria, and HP Nigeria. Additionally, Oracle Africa led an interactive discussion going deeply into topics such as blockchain, Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence. Small workgroups were presented by the SV representatives and the group was given the opportunity to pitch ideas that were vetted to see if they could potentially become full-fledged startups.

The evening concluded with a heartfelt presentation from a group that was physically, visually, and auditory challenged. They gave a presentation that presented the challenges experienced by people with disabilities who are looking for opportunities for employment where resources are unequally distributed.

On Day 6, the participants received an opportunity to take an Immersion Program examination at the GTI House. If passed, the participants will have access to GTI Capital Limited stockbroking services, including trading, public issue, margin trade, and collateralized credit services. Additionally, they will be provided with investment portfolio management and corporate finance services, including pension fund and asset management.