How Chinyere Is Building an Ecosystem of Resilient, Tech-Driven Entrepreneurs in Enugu

Every great innovation begins with a spark—an idea fueled by passion and shaped through perseverance. For Chinyere, the founder of Sparks Ventures Hub, that spark began with a bulky desktop computer sent by her uncle while she was a civil servant in Lagos.

It would ultimately ignite a journey that turned setbacks into stepping stones, and a personal struggle into a mission to empower others.

Welcome to YuSocial Spotlight, where we uncover the human side of entrepreneurship—the failures, pivots, lessons, and bold dreams behind some of Africa’s most promising startups.

The Genesis: From Typist to Tech Trailblazer

Chinyere's story began with curiosity and grit. With no formal tech training, she taught herself how to type—eventually clocking 98 words per minute. That speed landed her a job in the federal civil service, where she joined a pioneering project to digitize Nigeria’s traditional medicine practices, helping create the first digital knowledge library for African traditional medicine.

But a deeper desire stirred within: the need to rebalance her life and reunite with her husband in Abuja. That longing opened the door to her first entrepreneurial opportunity—a ₦10 million grant to launch an ICT franchise with Indian tech partners.

“I had tech skills. I had passion. But I had no business experience,” she admits.

Crashing, Learning, Rebuilding

That first business failed.

Chinyere is refreshingly honest about why.

“It wasn’t a lack of money. It was me. I didn’t know how to manage people, resources, or even myself.”

Employees diverted clients, misused resources, and ran side hustles during work hours. One administrator even made her husband the company’s Business Development Officer—without Chinyere’s knowledge—submitting doctored proposals worth millions.

“I had systems. Meetings. Targets. But no control. No accountability,” she recalls. “That business was destined to fail.”

Rather than hide from the fallout, she turned her failure into fuel. Chinyere immersed herself in entrepreneurship training programs, learning the basics she once lacked—financial literacy, people management, marketing, and systems thinking.

A New Mission: Building Sparks Ventures Hub

Out of that humbling experience came Sparks Ventures Hub, a tech-enabled incubation hub and co-working space in Enugu, designed for one purpose: helping entrepreneurs start right.

From just ₦2,000/day, entrepreneurs can access comfortable workspaces, free internet (powered by Starlink), and shared systems—even if they don’t own a laptop. But beyond the space, Sparks offers something far more valuable: a support ecosystem.

The Hub runs:

• Business management & ICT training
• Web & graphic design courses
• Grant-writing workshops
• Monthly community meetups
• Women-focused digital programs
• Holiday tech camps for kids (ages 9–16)
• Enterprise incubation for early-stage startups

With a licensing from SMEDAN as a certified Business Development Support Provider, Sparks is more than a hub—it’s a movement.

The Turning Point: The $5,000 That Changed Everything

In 2018, Chinyere received a Tony Elumelu Foundation grant. That $5,000 became the seed for Spark Consult, a consulting arm of her vision.

“This time, I didn’t build a bloated team. I built lean, trained every staff personally, and started forming strategic partnerships,” she shares.

Her methods worked. To date, she has helped entrepreneurs access over $5 million in grants. The new systems she implemented not only restored her confidence but proved one thing: structure and strategy beat raw ambition every time.

Lessons from the Trenches: Advice for Founders

Chinyere doesn’t just train entrepreneurs; she lives what she teaches. Here are a few of her hard-won truths:

1. You are your biggest limitation.
   Growing up with everything provided didn’t prepare her for entrepreneurship. Hunger—not comfort—breeds resilience.

2. Mentorship saves you time and money.
   She found hers in a woman named Mrs. Bimbo. “She never dismissed my ideas—just guided me through them.”

3. Don’t romanticize your idea. Test it.
   “Too many founders build solutions for non-existent problems. Do your research first.”

4. Never build alone.
   Strategic partnerships have helped Sparks scale faster, reduce costs, and attract more visibility.

5. Tech should simplify, not complicate.
   Whether it’s a tailor using tech to standardize measurements or a developer creating tools for SMEs, usability wins.

6. Family support is everything.
   As a woman in tech, Chinyere credits her husband and children as her backbone. “My kids run the home when I travel. My husband helps me vet ideas. That support gives me wings.”

What Sets Sparks Apart?

Unlike many tech hubs that train and release participants into the wild, Sparks Ventures handholds them through:

• Developing business plans, pitch decks, and recordkeeping templates
• Building investment-ready systems
• Accessing internal or partner-driven funding
• Building long-term sustainability strategies

They don’t just train. They incubate, mentor, and push.

And the numbers speak. Even testers of Sparks' free pilot incubation programs have gone on to win up to ₦2 million in funding.

Looking Ahead: Scaling Beyond Enugu

Sparks Ventures Hub is on a mission to expand into three new cities within the next two years. Chinyere envisions:

• An online incubation model for nationwide reach
• Internal microfunds for coworking residents
• Partnerships with schools, financial institutions, and global business support networks

She’s confident that the plan, while ambitious, is achievable—step by step.

Final Word: “No Quitter Was Ever Named a Winner”

“To any founder out there,” Chinyere says, “Don’t give up because you failed. Start again. Seek mentorship. Research deeply. Build lean. Stay hungry.”

Her advice cuts through the fluff of startup glamor and gets to the core:

"Your product should solve a real problem for a large group of people. It should be easy to use, easy to access, and easy to pay for. That’s the business model that wins."

And as for those still waiting for the perfect time or ‘destiny helper’?

“Stop waiting. Learn the skill. Build a business around it. You are the helper you’ve been waiting for.”