ISF 2026
Innovation & Scale Forum Pre-Conference Activity
Southwest Founder Roundtable & Stakeholder Dinner
Closed-door conversations that move from dialogue to action.
🎯 Founder Roundtable
For: Emerging (Idea–GTM) and Scaling (₦5M+ revenue) founders.
What we will achieve:
- Direct input into the Southwest Innovation & Startup Grant (SISG) design
- Off-record feedback from policymakers on regulatory bottlenecks
- Peer learning on capital readiness, unit economics, and regional expansion
- Connection to vetted ecosystem enablers (investors, legal, tax advisors)
Outcome: A published Founder Policy Brief delivered to state governments.
🍽️ Stakeholder Dinner (DDD)
For: Policymakers, investors, development partners, corporate innovation leads, donors.
What we will achieve:
- Align regional stakeholders around the SISG pooled grant mechanism
- Secure non-binding capital commitments from corporate and institutional partners
- Build trust between state governments and the private innovation ecosystem
- Create a repeatable DDD framework for high-level ecosystem coordination
Outcome: A Regional Innovation Compact signed by participating institutions.
Our Partners & Sponsors
Partial list. Additional partners announced soon.
🤝 Partner With Us
We are looking for mission-aligned organizations to co-create the Stakeholder Dinner and Founder Roundtable. Opportunities include:
- Title Sponsor — Exclusive naming rights for the dinner or roundtable
- Ecosystem Partner — In-kind support (venue, media, logistics)
- Grant Partner — Contribute to the SISG pooled grant pilot