After 10 Years, #StartupSouth Rebrands As OffChart NXT, Unveils N30m For Emerging Founders

New platform expands the decade-long movement’s focus on connecting founders beyond established startup hubs to capital, industry and opportunity.  After a decade of building platforms for entrepreneurs and emerging businesses, #StartupSouth is rebranding its flagship conference as OffChart NXT, marking a new phase in its effort to connect founders with capital, technology, industry and opportunity across Africa.

The rebranded conference, OffChart NXT 2026, will be held in Port Harcourt on October 22–23 under the theme, “Growth Doesn’t Follow Maps.”The transition follows ten editions of the #StartupSouth Conference, which has brought together founders, investors, technology professionals, policymakers, businesses and ecosystem leaders, particularly across Southern Nigeria.

According to the organisers, the rebrand reflects the growth of the movement and the need for its flagship platform to
take a broader view of where Africa’s next generation of businesses and opportunities can emerge.

“For the past decade, #StartupSouth has worked from a simple conviction: geography should not determine how far
ambition can travel,” said Uche Aniche, Convener of OffChart NXT and Founder of #StartupSouth. “After ten editions, we felt the conference needed an identity that could carry the larger conversation we are now convening about people, markets and opportunities emerging across a wider map of African economies.”

While the conference is adopting a new identity, #StartupSouth will remain the organisation and movement behind it. A major feature of the inaugural OffChart NXT edition will be the Startup Challenge & DealRoom, which will offer a N30 million prize pool to emerging founders.

The initiative is designed to go beyond the traditional pitch competition. Selected founders will participate in a structured…