About The Bulb
The Bulb, an accelerator and incubator program founded in 2020, is based in Lagos, Nigeria. With a presence in 4 countries, it has supported around 25 startups in sectors like Consumer, Enterprise Applications. Most notable companies in
its portfolio include Afrilearn, Electronic Esusu and Emergency Response Africa. The program is backed by a team of 3 people who primarily support Grant (prize money) startups based in Nigeria. Its latest investment was a Undisclosed Grant (prize money) round in Lafiya on May 14, 2020.
Key Metrics
Founded Year
2020
Location
Lagos, Nigeria
Portfolio Companies
Sectors of Investment
Stages of Investment
Grant (prize money)
Locations of Investment
The Bulb's List of Top Investments
The Bulb has a portfolio of 25 companies. Their most notable investments include Afrilearn and Electronic Esusu.Their portfolio spans across Nigeria, United States, South Africa and 1 more locations. They have invested in Consumer, Enterprise Applications, Food and Agriculture Tech and 16 other sectors, across stages such as Grant (prize money) stage. Here is the list of top investments by The Bulb:
1. Afrilearn
Provider of SaaS and app-based learning solutions for students. It offers videos, audio lessons, class notes, practice quizzes on subjects like economics, English, civics, physics, chemistry, arts, geography, accounts, and more. Additionally, it allows parents to track the progress of the child and provides learning resources for schools. Its app is available for Android and iOS devices.
Key facts about Afrilearn
- Founded Year: 2019
- Location: Ikeja (Nigeria)
- Stage: Funding Raised
- Employee Count: 11 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: Village Capital and The Bulb
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
Esusu provides a cloud-based banking software suite. Its feature includes loan life cycle management software, open banking API solutions, customer engagement solutions, branch & employee management, and more.
Key facts about Electronic Esusu
- Founded Year: 2016
- Location: Lagos (Nigeria)
- Stage: Funding Raised
- Employee Count: 11 as on Aug 31, 2026
- Investors: First Bank of Nigeria, The Bulb and 1 Other
- Latest Funding Round: Grant (prize money), Nov 13, 2024, $*****
Key facts about Emergency Response Africa
- Founded Year: 2019
- Location: Lagos (Nigeria)
- Stage: Seed
- Total Funding till date: $30K
- Employee Count: 58 as on Sep 30, 2026
- Investors: Rising Tide Africa, Techstars and 3 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Grant (prize money), May 14, 2020, $*****
4. TruQ
Offers an online platform for booking relocation services. The company enables users to book movers online through the platform. Their services include home delivery, apartments & office relocation, market delivery, etc. Users have to enter pick up & destination address to book the service.
Key facts about TruQ
- Founded Year: 2019
- Location: Lagos (Nigeria)
- Stage: Seed
- Total Funding till date: $50K
- Employee Count: 16 as on Sep 30, 2026
- Investors: Expert DOJO, Techstars and 3 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Seed, Sep 07, 2022, $*****
The Bulb's Year-on-Year Investment Trends
Its most recent first time investment was in Lafiya.The Bulb's Investments by Stage
The Bulb has made 5 investments in Grant (prize money) stage with an average round size of $17.5K.The Bulb's Investments by Sector
The Bulb has a diverse portfolio, with companies operating in the HealthTech, Enterprise Applications, FinTech, Healthcare and InsurTech. Notably, it has invested in 18 Tech companies, 11 Consumer (B2C) companies, 11 Enterprise (B2B) companies and at least 9 companies focusing on Software.Sector | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
HealthTech | 3 |
Enterprise Applications | 1 |
FinTech | 1 |
Healthcare | 1 |
InsurTech | 1 |
Others | 1 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
The Bulb's Investments by Geography
The Bulb has made most investments in Nigeria (5).The Bulb's recent investments
The Bulb has not made any investment in 2026 so far.Here are the most recent investments by The Bulb:
Filter this listDate | Company | Location | Round Details | Round Amount | Co-Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
May 14, 2020 | Nigeria | Grant (prize money) | 1708 | - | |
May 14, 2020 | Nigeria | Grant (prize money) | 2154 | - | |
May 14, 2020 | Nigeria | Grant (prize money) | 5921 | - | |
May 14, 2020 | Nigeria | Grant (prize money) | 3585 | - | |
May 14, 2020 | Nigeria | Grant (prize money) | 9489 | - |
Team profile of The Bulb
The Bulb has a team of 3 members including 3 Partners located in Nigeria and United States. The Bulb's team does not sit on the board of any company as of now.Here is a list of all team members in The Bulb:
Name | Designation | Location | Board Memberships | Contact Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Partner | Nigeria | - | ||
Partner | Nigeria | - | ||
Partner | Washington, DC | - |
Co-investors of The Bulb
Over the past 6 years, one investor has co-invested in The Bulb's portfolio companies. This includes only funds.
- Invested before The Bulb: Accelerator Centre has invested before The Bulb.
Recent News related to The Bulb
•
The Bulb Africa announces Tech fellowship programmehttps://www.vanguardngr.com•Mar 23, 2022•The Bulb
•
The Bulb Africa™ Launches Startup Academy To Equip Promising Tech FoundersConnect Nigeria•Oct 01, 2020•The Bulb
•
The Bulb Africa Invests $25,000 into Nigerian Healthcare Startup Emergency Response AfricaVOLANEWS•May 20, 2020•The Bulb, Emergency Response Africa
•
The Bulb Africa invests in healthcare startup, supports emerging solutionsTechpoint.Africa•May 14, 2020•Emergency Response Africa, The Bulb
