Ogun State’s Vant Makes Global Top 12 in WIPO’s IP Labs 2.0 Competition

Out of more than 700 startups and innovators from across the world, Vant made the cut. The Ogun State based startup has been named one of the top 12 finalists in IP Labs 2.0, a global innovation programme powered by the World Intellectual Property Organization, the UN agency responsible for intellectual property policy and global innovation frameworks.

The selection puts Vant in rare company. IP Labs 2.0 drew applications from startups across multiple continents, and being shortlisted to 12 from that pool is a meaningful signal that what the team is building has caught attention well beyond Nigeria’s borders.

As part of the recognition, Vant has been invited to present at the United Nations House in Abuja, a venue that carries weight not just symbolically but practically, connecting finalists with global policymakers, development partners, and fellow innovators working on problems at a similar scale of ambition.

The milestone was shared by Oluwafisayomi Adesanya on behalf of the Vant team, framing the selection as validation of the direction the company has been heading rather than a destination in itself.

For Vant, which is building business infrastructure and financial tools designed to give African merchants and operators access to the kind of operational systems that have historically been out of reach, the WIPO recognition adds a layer of credibility that matters when you’re trying to build trust with the businesses you serve.

It also adds another data point to a story that has been developing quietly out of Ogun State. In a short period, Vant has moved from building product to earning recognition from one of the world’s most respected international bodies on innovation. That kind of trajectory doesn’t happen by accident, and it puts the startup firmly on the list of Ogun State companies worth watching closely.