Chocolate City Group, the Nigerian entertainment company, has launched a $1 million fund to support emerging creatives and tech-driven startups across Africa’s fast-growing creative economy.
The initiative, known as the Chocolate City Creative Fund, aims to empower startups innovating in music, film, fashion, gaming, and content creation, thereby bridging the gap between creativity, business, and technology.
Driving Innovation in Africa’s Creative Sector
The fund will provide seed investments, mentorship, and industry partnerships to help creative entrepreneurs scale their businesses.
According to the label, the move reflects Chocolate City’s long-term strategy to nurture sustainable creative ecosystems and promote African talent globally.
Focus Areas and Eligibility
The $1 million fund will target early-stage startups and founders building solutions that intersect creativity, technology, and commerce.
Priority sectors include:
- Music production, distribution, and rights management
- Film and digital storytelling platforms
- Gaming, animation, and immersive media
- Fashion, technology and lifestyle innovation
Chocolate City also plans to collaborate with accelerators, venture partners, and creative hubs to expand the initiative’s reach across Nigeria and other African markets.
The $1 million fund is in collaboration with Co-Creation Hub (CCHub) and Argentil Capital Management Limited to boost Nigeria’s creative economy and empower emerging entrepreneurs.
Ojoma Ochai, Managing Director of CCHub, said the partnership combines Chocolate City’s creative industry experience with CCHub’s proven startup ecosystem to foster sustainable business growth.
“We understand what creative entrepreneurs need to scale sustainably. This partnership brings together industry expertise and startup development infrastructure to provide comprehensive support,” Ochai explained.
Gbenga Hassan, Managing Partner at Argentil Capital, emphasised that the fund seeks to address the persistent shortage of structured financing for creative ventures in Nigeria, particularly in the rapidly growing music and film sectors.
The fund will begin accepting applications later this month, targeting creative startups and enterprises that demonstrate traction, clear business models, and potential to create jobs. In line with the founders’ two decades of experience building profitable ventures in emerging markets, the initiative prioritises sustainable growth over aggressive scaling.
