Nigerian climate-tech startup Acecore has won the $10,000 grand prize at Moonshot 2026’s TC Battlefield competition, emerging ahead of nine other finalists at the two-day technology conference held at the National Theatre in Lagos on October 28 and 29.
The startup secured the top prize for its locally manufactured, AI-powered solar battery technology, designed to help Nigerian homes and businesses manage electricity supply more efficiently.
The competition, sponsored by Yango Group, awarded a total of $17,500 in equity-free funding to three Nigerian startups.
Acecore’s AI-Powered Solar Technology Takes Centre Stage
Founded by Caleb Iwuoha, Acecore develops clean energy systems aimed at reducing dependence on unreliable grid electricity and imported power equipment.
Its flagship product, Powercell, combines a modular inverter and battery system with artificial intelligence to provide solar-powered electricity for households and businesses.
The hardware works alongside the company’s Powercore application, which allows users to monitor energy consumption, optimise battery performance and anticipate maintenance needs.
According to Acecore’s company profile at GITEX Nigeria, the technology is designed for African markets where unstable electricity supply remains a major constraint on businesses and households.
The company is also exploring applications in solar-powered cold storage and irrigation, extending its technology beyond residential electricity supply.
Other Nigerian Startups Win at Moonshot 2026
Acecore competed against nine other finalists representing sectors including healthcare, education, agriculture and commerce.
Supplya, a Nigerian startup helping small retailers purchase inventory directly from manufacturers and access interest-free buy-now-pay-later financing, finished second and received $5,000.
Navidyn Limited took third place, securing $2,500.
Other finalists included Fertitude, which develops digital reproductive healthcare services, Lena, an AI-powered education platform, and Qiqi Farms, which uses technology and cold-chain infrastructure to connect farmers with markets.
The TC Battlefield competition provides early-stage African startups with opportunities to pitch to investors, gain visibility and compete for non-dilutive funding.
Why Acecore’s Moonshot 2026 Victory Matters
Acecore’s victory highlights an important shift in Nigeria’s startup ecosystem, where entrepreneurs are developing technology to address infrastructure problems rather than focusing exclusively on software and financial services.
Electricity remains one of Nigeria’s most persistent business challenges, forcing households and companies to rely on generators, inverters and other alternative power sources.
For startups such as Acecore, locally manufactured solar technology presents an opportunity to address energy reliability while potentially reducing dependence on imported equipment.
The development also reflects growing interest in climate-focused innovation. As Techsoma previously reported, Nigerian energy startups including Eja-Ice and Koolboks have attracted financing for solar-powered cooling solutions targeting farmers and food businesses.
Acecore’s $10,000 prize is relatively modest compared with conventional venture capital funding. However, the equity-free award and exposure to investors could support the startup’s next stage of development.
Its longer-term challenge will be demonstrating that locally manufactured, AI-powered energy systems can be produced affordably and deployed at scale across African markets.
