Kike AI Unveils Campus Impact Challenge to Drive Innovation in Food and Gas Sectors

By Mary Onyia

 Nigeria’s first intelligent kitchen assistant platform, Kike AI has launched the Kike AI Campus Impact Challenge (KCIC) 2025 to harness and empower student-led innovations in the country’s food and cooking gas sectors through entrepreneurship media creation, research and policy innovation.

The organisers in a statement released over the weekend said they are Targeting undergraduates and postgraduates, to challenge them into developing solutions across five key tracks: stakeholder mapping, gas distribution innovation, vendor e-commerce, viral content creation, and policy development.

Powered by SMEFUNDS, the initiative, the organisers said is more than just a challenge, but a mission to empower young change makers to tackle real-life problems in Nigeria’s kitchen and cooking gas economy using creativity, collaboration, and technology.

The CEO of SMEFUNDS, Femi Oye, said the KCIC is about solutions, leadership, and impact.

“We want students to think beyond theory—to act, build, and shape the future of our gas and food systems”.

“This is more than a competition—it’s a mission to ignite action and leadership,” said Femi Oye, CEO of SMEFUNDS. “We want students to go beyond theory and build the future of Nigeria’s kitchen economy.”

Participants will collaborate in teams of three to five students to take on one or more of the following challenge tracks – Stakeholder Research & Mapping: Identify key actors across gas, food, and logistics sector; Gas Distribution Innovation.

The top team will win a grand prize of ₦2.5 million, with ₦1.25 million, ₦500,000, and ₦250,000 awarded to the first, second, and third runners-up, respectively. Other benefits include an all-expenses-paid trip to New York for the top performer, internships, fellowships, tech gadgets, and portfolio recognition for all finalists.

“All-expenses-paid trip to New York for the top individual performer; internships, fellowships, and Demo Day pitching opportunities; tech gadgets, Kike AI swag kits, and career support for the top 10 teams; completion certificates and portfolio recognition for all finalists”, Oye stressed.

Applications opened on April 28. Team briefing is set for May 9, followed by an execution period from May 12 to June 12. Final submissions are due June 13, with the grand finale and Demo Day scheduled for June 25.

Students can apply as teams or register as Campus Ambassadors, with both roles offering mentorship, leadership training, and growth opportunities. The initiative is part of Kike AI’s broader goal to onboard 10,000 B2B vendors and reach 1 million users by 2025.

“We are using this platform to find the next wave of innovators, marketers, media minds, and ecosystem shapers. It’s time to build with Nigeria’s brightest students”, Oye noted.