Four medical students from the University of Benin, Edo state, have been selected as finalists for the student venture capital grant (SVCG) of the federal government.
The scheme, introduced in November 2025 in collaboration with the Bank of Industry (BoI), aims to provide up to N50 million in non-dilutive funding to student-led ventures that have reached the commercialisation stage.
Recently, the federal government announced that 65 student innovators from a total of 30,639 applicants across 404 tertiary institutions nationwide have advanced to the final stage.
The federal government described the venture capital grant initiative as a deliberate investment in the next generation of innovators and job creators
The four UNIBEN students, who are currently in their 6th year in medical school, were selected for developing UpCare, an innovative platform designed to create a patient-owned, decentralised digital health diary library for Nigerians.
The innovation enables patients to own a secure digital health identity, allowing their medical history to be continuously updated across different healthcare facilities.
UpCare is designed to significantly reduce waiting times, improve access to care, and ensure that critical health information can be retrieved within seconds, especially in emergency situations.
The innovation also promotes continuity of care as patients move between hospitals and clinics.
The UpCare team is led by Francis Nwabueze. Others are Ayebamiebi Yousuo, Osahon Onariase, and Daniel Itegboje.