How do we stop millions of Naira worth of fruits and vegetables from rotting before they ever reach the consumer?
A few months ago, my teammate Emmanuel Ogunsanwo and I identified a massive problem in our agricultural supply chain: the rapid spoilage of climacteric fruits, the kind that keep ripening after harvest, like tomatoes, mangoes, and bananas. We knew there had to be a sustainable way to preserve them, and that was how Coolbox was born.
Coolbox is a low-cost, off-grid, solar-powered cold storage system-transportable by design, so it can keep produce fresh right where farmers and traders need it, without depending on the grid.
When the opportunity arose to pitch at the Tertiary Institution Energy Challenge (TIEC 4.0), organized by All On, at the 2026 Nigeria Energy Forum( NEF), we knew we had to take it.
To turn the vision into reality, I knew we needed more than engineering. We brought on Chiugo and Covenant-brilliant teammates outside the engineering discipline, for a genuinely cross-functional approach that sharpened the business and user side in ways two engineers couldn't have managed alone.
After weeks of rigorous research, late-night sessions, and refining our model, I'm incredibly proud to say we pitched Coolbox at the NEF and took home 1st Place! 🏆
But the trophy wasn't the biggest takeaway. What stuck with me was sitting with industry professionals who didn't just like the idea — they took it seriously enough to tell me how to scale it beyond this stage. When people who've built in this space start coaching you on your next move, it stops being a student project and starts feeling like something real.
None of this would have happened without our faculty advisor, Professor Babalola, who backed us at every step-drilling us on our pitch, tracking our progress, and, despite a demanding schedule, showing up with us at the event itself. That kind of support changes what a team believes it can do.
A huge thank you to my amazing team, All On, and the Nigeria Energy Forum for the platform. This is just the beginning for Coolbox.
(P.S. We also went on some incredible field trips-sharing those in the coming days!)
#Agritech #Innovation #ChemicalEngineering #CleanEnergy #Nigeria #TIEC #NEF
11 Julio 2026 à 16h25
Ver en LinkedIn →
