Four months ago, a vision took shape in Lagos: a solution to a silent crisis. The grant-seeking landscape in Africa is crowded with paperwork, opaque processes, and missed opportunities. A change was needed. Today, that vision becomes reality with the launch of Applai V1, an AI-powered grants platform created by Nigerian entrepreneur Chuma Aroh.
A personal mission ignited by experience
Chuma’s journey began during his time at university, when he secured €8,000 from GIZ and ₦750,000 from the Aspire Coronation Trust (ECT) Foundation to fund a bicycle-powered food delivery pilot. It was this early success that illuminated a consistent pain point: grassroots innovators in Africa were being sidelined, not for lack of merit, but due to systemic barriers.
“I learned firsthand how nonprofits and social enterprises are often doing the hardest, most meaningful work with the least resources.” Says Chuma Aroh
But it wasn’t just his student experience that shaped Applai’s vision. His time at TVCLabs, a start-up accelerator, played a pivotal role. For a year, Chuma served as Founder Care Lead, working closely with over 300 start-up founders, helping them get investment-ready, and connecting them to investors.
“That experience was eye-opening,” he recalls. “So many founders didn’t even know where to look for funding, let alone how to apply for it.” adds Chuma Aroh
It was in those countless interactions that the seed for Applai began to germinate: a tool that could democratize access to grants, regardless of experience or network.
From freelance hustle to solo-founder ambition
For four months, Chuma balanced the demands of freelance work with the painstaking task of building Applai. Supported by a tight-knit, passionate team, he navigated coding, AI integration, and product design, all while preserving the mission: to make funding pathways fair and navigable for all.
Today, Applai is live
Standing at the helm of his startup, Chuma launched the platform’s first version with a bold promise: effortless access to over $2 billion in grants, tailored AI-assisted applications, and seamless tracking, all free to start. Future updates will expand functionality further, with funder mapping insights and impact-reporting tools on the horizon.
The road ahead
This launch marks just the beginning of what Chuma anticipates will be an “intelligent, trusted grant funding platform” for years to come, one that walks hand in hand with NGOs, SMEs, start-ups, and funders. For many changemakers, it offers a new ally in the fierce pursuit of social impact.
