The platform behind entrepreneurial development initiatives
States, national agencies and development partners run initiatives to help small businesses start, formalise and grow. LIFT is the platform those initiatives run on.
A business owner signs up once, verifies in stages, and gets learning, events, a verified marketplace, funding, government registration and a public directory in one account. The organisation running the initiative publishes, reviews and reports from the same place.
A member’s home.
Tiers
More verification, greater access
A new member browses. A verified individual learns, attends and buys. A verified business sells, lists, applies for funding and advertises.
A business with a good record earns Trusted status, with featured placement and priority access, and keeps it only while the record holds.
Tier 0
Explorer
Name, phone, email
- Browse courses and events
- Browse the directory
- Read resources and news
- See what each tier unlocks
Tier 1
Verified individual
Profile and ID
- Enrol and earn certificates
- RSVP and join the forum
- Buy on the marketplace
- Government services
Tier 2
Verified business
CAC, TIN, documents
- Sell and receive payouts
- Live directory listing
- Apply for loans and grants
- Run ads, KYB lookups
Tier 3
Trusted
Conduct on the platform
- Early access to events
- Featured in the directory
- Priority funding review
- Lost if standing slips
Each tier keeps everything below it. Trusted is earned and can be withdrawn.
Member tiers overview.
First day
Where a new member starts
Every module is visible from the first day. Locked ones say what it takes to open them, so the next step is always clear.
Greater access unlocked at higher tiers.
Modules
Six things a business needs, one account
Most initiatives offer training on one site, grants on another and a directory nobody updates. LIFT puts six modules behind one profile.
A member who verifies for the marketplace is already verified for a grant, a directory listing and a trademark search.
- Identity
- CAC registration
- Tax ID
- Sector: Fashion
One profile, verified once
Every module reads the same profile and tier, so nothing is verified twice.
One member, six modules.
Verification
Verify in stages, not all at once
Sign-up asks for a name, a phone number, an email and a national identification number. Identity verification is automated.
Business verification checks registration, tax identification and documents, is reviewed by people, and takes two to three working days. Nothing is asked for before it is needed, and nothing already given is asked for twice.
- 01AccountUnlocks Tier 0
Name, phone, email
YouUnder 2 minutes
- 02Personal profile
Sector, location, role
YouAbout a minute
- 03IdentityUnlocks Tier 1
ID document, selfie match
AutomatedMinutes
- 04BusinessUnlocks Tier 2
CAC number, TIN, documents
Reviewed by people2 to 3 working days
- 05StandingUnlocks Tier 3
Conduct across modules
Decided by the platformEarned over time
Each step unlocks the next tier.
Finance
Funding that members can see, and reach
Grant and loan programs from government agencies, development banks and financial institutions are listed in one place, with amounts, eligibility and closing dates.
Loans and grants.
Soft gates
Members see the next step, not a locked door
A verified individual can read and save a program and see whether they qualify. A verified business applies, with most of the form already filled from the profile. Trusted members enter a priority review queue.
GrantOpen
SME Growth Fund
₦500,000 to ₦5,000,000, closes 30 Sep
- Eligibility
- Registered SME, 2+ years trading
- Documents
- CAC certificate, TIN, bank statement
- Prefilled
- 7 of 9 fields from your profile
To apply, verify your business. You can read and save this program now. Verification takes 2 to 3 working days.
- Tier 0See program names and amounts
- Tier 1Read full detail, save, check eligibilityYou are here
- Tier 2Apply, with profile and documents prefilledNext step
- Tier 3Priority review, early notice of new programs
Verification unlocks more.
Trade
A marketplace for entrepreneurs, from entrepreneurs
Members buy from each other. A tailor sources fabric from a textile trader on the platform; a food processor buys packaging from a verified supplier two states away.
Every seller is a verified business, every buyer is a member of the initiative, and payment is held by the platform until the buyer confirms delivery.
If the buyer does not confirm, or the seller does not ship, either side raises a dispute and the platform decides before any money moves.
Trusted deals between entrepreneurs.
Directory
A directory that stays current, because members keep it
Every verified business gets a listing, maintained by the business itself. Visitors filter by sector, state, stage and verification. Trusted members are featured at the top.
For the initiative, the directory is a live register of who is in it and what they do.
Searchable Business directory.
Connect
Events, courses and community in the same place
Masterclasses, workshops and summits with RSVP and capacity. Courses with certificates, recommended from the member’s sector and record. A forum where members ask each other. Trusted members see events first.
Join featured events.
For the organisation running the initiative
Built to be run, not just launched
Every member action is on one record, so reporting on reach, verification rates and funding disbursed is a query, not a survey.
01
Publish
Courses, events, grant and loan programs, government service guides, news and sponsored placements, each targeted by tier, sector and location.
02
Review
A business verification queue with documents attached. Grant and loan applications with eligibility already checked and profile fields prefilled.
03
Report
Members by tier, sector and state. Applications by program. Marketplace volume. Who moved from new member to verified business, and how long it took.
Deployment
One product, your initiative’s name on it
The tiers, modules and rules are shared across every deployment. The brand, colour, type and content are configuration.
A state ministry, a national agency and a development partner can each run LIFT as their own initiative.
Ministry of commerce
Enterprise development
Foundation or development bank
The same LIFT underneath
Brand, colour, type and content are configuration. The rules and the record are shared.
Customisable to fit many initiatives.
Who it is for
Built for those with a mandate to grow small businesses.
- State ministries of commerce and industry
- National enterprise development agencies
- Development banks and MSME funds
- Foundations and development partners running entrepreneurship programs
- Industry associations with members to serve
Tell us who your members are
And what you want them to reach. We will show you LIFT configured for your initiative.