UrbanGeekz has officially published its third annual UrbanGeekz 50: Gamechangers in Tech, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship List, highlighting leaders building the products, platforms, and movements shaping today’s innovation economy.

Top Stories 📰

Story 1: We just released our annual UrbanGeekz 50 list: Gamechangers in Tech, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship List.

Story 2: Meet the 10 tech startups in the 2025 Geekz Ventures GROWTH Pre-Accelerator.

Story 3: Esusu raises $50 million at $1.2 billion valuation to boost credit access through rental history.

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Hot News 🔥

1. Meet the 2025 Young People of the Forbes 30 Under 30 list of individuals striving for excellence in various fields.

2. Kevin Hart’s Coramino Fund has awarded 50 additional $10,000 grants to small businesses this year to fuel local economic growth.

3. Billionaire Michael Bloomberg has introduced a new initiative to widen educational access: funding  K–12 charter schools on HBCU campuses.

4. Michael Jordan has announced a $10 million gift to Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center in honor of his mother, Deloris Jordan.

5. Unconventional AI, founded by Naveen Rao, has secured $475 million at a $4.5 billion valuation to develop energy-efficient AI computers.

Opportunities - Accelerators/Funding, Events.

Grants💰

• Up to $65 million | Get up to £50 million in 2026 Endowments Investing Challenge funding for social and environmental impact projects in the UK.📅 Apply by Dec. 19, 2025

• $150K Investment | The Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation aims to identify social entrepreneurs with dynamic ideas and nurture them in their early stages with maximum leverage and total commitment. 🗓️ Application on a rolling basis:

• $155K | The Da Vinci Fellowship offers an equity-free grant of €150 000 per fellow to young, contrarian Europeans. 🗓️ Application on a rolling basis

• $100K | The Thiel Fellowship is a two-year program for young people who want to build new things. Fellows receive a $100,000 grant and support from the Thiel Foundation’s network of founders, investors, and scientists.🗓️ Application on a rolling basis:

• Up to $26.5K | Braze, in partnership with BET Plus and Coursera, is offering 10 founders across APAC, EMEA, and NA 12 months of FREE access to Braze, a $26,500 product grant, and many more.📅 Apply by Jan. 16, 2026

• Up to $15K | The Catalyst Fund by The Roddenberry Foundation makes grants between $2.5k - $15k to anyone with an early-stage idea or project that addresses pressing global challenges  🗓️ Apply on a rolling basis:

• Up to $10K | Each qualifying nonprofit has access to up to $10,000 per month in search ads shown on Google.com. Additional Google Ads may be purchased in a separate account.  🗓️ Apply on a rolling basis:

Accelerators 💼

1. Y Combinator is accepting applications for the Winter 2026 Batch funding cycle, which will occur from January to March in San Francisco.

2. Techstars Accelerator provides funding, mentorship, hands-on training, and access to Techstars' global network of VC investors, corporate partners, and alumni founders.

3. The Propellant Labs is a startup accelerator offering different programs to help entrepreneurs launch and scale their businesses.

4. Northwestern Mutual Black Founder Accelerator® invests in up to ten companies per year (two cohorts of five) focused on fintech, insuretech, digital health, and data analytics.

5. Peachscore + Dealum hosts 12 cohorts annually, offering startup founders the flexibility to join immediately upon acceptance and receive up to $150k, regardless of when they apply.

6. The two-year Activate Fellowship provides early-stage science entrepreneurs with funding, technical resources, and unparalleled support from a network of scientists, engineers, investors, commercial partners, and fellow entrepreneurs. 

7. Forum Ventures' accelerator helps SaaS and AI startups grow with pre-seed funding, mentorship, and expert guidance.

Events🎟️

CES showcases companies including manufacturers, developers, and suppliers of consumer technology hardware, content, technology delivery systems, and more. It also includes a conference program where the world's business leaders and pioneering thinkers address the industry's most relevant issues.

CES® unites the brightest tech luminaries to pioneer the future and solve the world's biggest problems. This is where brands get business done, meet new partners, and where the industry’s sharpest minds take the stage to unveil their latest releases and boldest breakthroughs.

Date: January. 6-9, 2026

Location: Las Vegas

Founded by Glory Olamigoke and David Ogebe, the Tech Revolution Africa Conference connects the entire technology value chain in Africa. It gathers thousands of talented players and leaders from the African tech ecosystem to network, collaborate, and discuss the growth of technological innovation on the continent. It features innovative startups, products, ideas, and solutions through technology.

Founded by Glory Olamigoke and David Ogebe, The  Tech Revolution Africa Conference connects the entire technology value chain in Africa. It gathers thousands of talented players and leaders from the African tech ecosystem to network, collaborate, and discuss the growth of technological innovation on the continent. It features innovative startups, products, ideas, and solutions through technology.

Date: 30 - 31 January, 2026

Location: Lagos, Nigeria

Thank you for joining us in this edition of Geekz Insider. We hope that our shared stories and opportunities will ignite your career goals and entrepreneurial spirit, fueling your drive to innovate. From dynamic founders to transformative AI programs and life-changing grants, there’s something here to inspire everyone.

Enjoy our newsletter? Share it with your network and sign up here to stay informed about the latest in tech, business, and innovation.  Until next time, keep hustling and making those geeky dreams come true!

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Written by Stephen Oluwadara and produced by Gugu Nxumalo