The best products on LaunchPad in 2026, by category

By mid-2026, the Nigerian startup ecosystem has matured beyond the hype cycle. What's left is a set of products that founders are actually using, customers are paying for, and investors are backing. Not all of them are household names, but they're solving real problems across fintech, logistics, agritech, education, and creator tools. This article is a working inventory of the best launches we've tracked on LaunchPad this year - products that have moved from launch to traction, and a few dark horses that deserve your attention.

The founders behind these products are not in it for press coverage anymore. They're shipping features, iterating on unit economics, and fighting for market share in categories where the early winners take most of the oxygen. If you're building in Nigeria or Africa, this list will show you what's possible, and where the gaps still are.

Fintech: The Category That Never Stops Evolving

Fintech in Nigeria remains the most crowded category on LaunchPad, but 2026 has seen a clear separation between products that solve for the informal economy and those that chase the salaried middle class. The winners are doing both.

Naijacard, built by /maker/ada, is one of the standout fintech launches this year. It's a prepaid card targeting the gig economy - the 30+ million Nigerians earning income outside formal employment. What makes Naijacard different is that it integrates directly with popular gig platforms (Uber, Bolt, Jumia), meaning a rider or delivery driver gets paid, instantly sees their balance, and can spend it without the friction of traditional banking. The product launched in February 2026 and has hit 150,000 active users by September. Naijacard doesn't compete with Kuda or Moniepoint on brand; it competes on utility for a specific user.

Ajo, led by /maker/tunde, is solving a different problem: informal savings groups. Ajo is a mobile app that digitises the traditional esusu or ajo system - where groups of people pool money weekly and each member gets a lump sum on rotation. The product handles the trust problem (no one runs off with the money), automates payouts, and offers optional insurance. It's not new conceptually, but Ajo's execution is clean, and it's live in Lagos, Kano, and Ibadan. The founder has been transparent about unit economics: the product takes a 2% fee per cycle and is targeting breakeven on a cohort basis by Q4 2026.

For a deeper look at how fintech fits into the broader startup landscape, see Shipping from Naija: the state of the Nigerian startup ecosystem in 2026.

Logistics and Last-Mile Delivery: Still Broken, Still Solving

Logistics remains the graveyard of Nigerian startups, but a few products have cracked the code by narrowing their scope ruthlessly.

Okada is not a new app - but the 2026 version, led by /maker/yemi, has pivoted hard toward B2B logistics rather than consumer ride-hailing. Okada now focuses on intra-city parcel delivery for e-commerce merchants, using its existing network of bike riders. The unit economics work because the company charges per-parcel (not per-minute), has predictable routes, and can batch deliveries. By May 2026, Okada was handling 40,000+ deliveries per week in Lagos alone. The product is boring, which is exactly why it works.

Loop, founded by /maker/musa, is a logistics orchestration platform for small and medium merchants. Instead of juggling multiple courier apps, a seller on Loop can book a pickup, compare rates across Gokada, Sendify, and other providers in real time, and track a single shipment. Loop takes a small commission (1.5%) per transaction. It's a B2B SaaS play in a category that usually fails because the margins are thin - but Loop's insight is that merchants will pay for convenience and transparency, not volume discounts.

Agritech: Where the Real Money Is

Agritech has been a LaunchPad darling for years, but 2026 has seen the category split into two: products for smallholder farmers (subsistence to semi-commercial) and products for commercial farms and aggregators.

Shamba, built by /maker/kemi, is targeting the aggregator segment. It's a farm management software that helps agricultural cooperatives and medium-scale farms track inputs, yields, and quality. Shamba integrates with Paystack for payment processing and offers optional financing through partnerships with microfinance banks. The product is live in Oyo and Kaduna states, with pilots running in three other states. Kemi has shared that Shamba's unit economics work because cooperatives pay annual subscriptions (₦150,000-₦300,000 depending on farm size), and churn is low because switching costs are high once data is locked in.

Farmpay, led by /maker/obi, is going after the smallholder farmer directly. It's a mobile-first credit product: a farmer borrows cash, buys inputs (seeds, fertiliser), grows the crop, and repays after harvest. Farmpay handles the underwriting using farm data, weather patterns, and local market prices. It's not a new model, but Farmpay's execution is tight. By Q3 2026, it had deployed ₦2.1 billion in loans across 8 states, with a repayment rate above 92%. The product is profitable on a per-loan basis, though the company is still burning cash on customer acquisition.

For a comprehensive breakdown of the agritech landscape, see Agritech in Nigeria, 2026: who's actually shipping.

Education: The Pivot That Stuck

Edtech in Nigeria has been through multiple cycles of hype and disillusionment. The winners in 2026 are those that abandoned the B2C consumer play and went B2B2C or B2B.

Uni, founded by /maker/ifeoma, is a vocational learning platform targeting informal traders and artisans. Instead of JAMB prep (which is saturated), Uni teaches practical skills: electrical installation, plumbing, tailoring, welding. The product is video-first, works on 2G networks, and charges a one-time fee of ₦3,000-₦5,000 per course. Ifeoma has been deliberate about not chasing school partnerships; instead, she's partnered with trade associations and local government councils to distribute Uni as a tool for skills training. By mid-2026, the platform had 200,000+ learners and was cash-flow positive.

Gbedu, led by /maker/chinedu, is a slightly different play: it's a learning management system (LMS) for training centres and corporate L&D teams. Gbedu handles course creation, learner tracking, certification, and integration with payroll systems. It's not consumer-facing, but it's profitable. The company has 50+ paying customers (training centres, NGOs, and mid-size corporates) and is growing at about 15% MoM.

Read more about the edtech category in Edtech in Naija, 2026: from JAMB prep to vocational.

Creator Economy: Tools That Actually Monetise

The creator economy in Nigeria is fragmented. Creators use TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Tik Tok Shop, but they're often confused about where their money is coming from and how to optimise it. A few products are starting to solve this.

Kola, built by a founder we've been following closely, is a creator dashboard that pulls earnings data from multiple platforms (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Flutterwave, Paystack) and shows a creator their real income in one place. Kola also offers a simple invoicing tool for brand deals. It's not complex, but it's useful. The product launched in April 2026 and has 5,000+ active creators. Kola makes money by taking a 2% fee on brand deal invoices paid through the platform.

Salam, founded by a creator-focused team, is a community and monetisation tool for Nigerian creators. It's part Patreon, part Discord. Creators build communities, offer exclusive content, and fans pay monthly subscriptions. Salam takes 15% of revenue. By August 2026, the platform had facilitated ₦45 million in creator earnings.

For the full picture of creator tools and payouts, see Nigeria's creator economy: tools, payouts, and platforms in 2026.

Gig Economy and Micro-Work

Giggo is a micro-tasking platform that connects small businesses and individuals with freelancers for short-term work: data entry, transcription, social media management, design. It's not novel, but Giggo's advantage is that it's designed for the Nigerian context. Tasks are priced in Naira, payments are instant (via Moniepoint), and there's a dispute resolution system that actually works. The platform is live and processing 10,000+ tasks per week.

The Broader Picture: What's Working, What's Not

Looking across these products, a few patterns emerge:

1. Specificity wins. The products that are gaining traction are solving for a specific user in a specific context, not trying to be the "Uber of X" or the "Stripe for Africa."

2. Unit economics matter early. The founders who are being transparent about their numbers (Farmpay, Ajo, Shamba, Uni) are the ones building sustainably. Those chasing growth without unit economics clarity are either raising huge rounds or running out of runway.

3. Informal economy is the real market. The products winning fastest are those serving gig workers, smallholder farmers, informal traders, and creators - not the salaried middle class that everyone assumes is the target market.

4. Integrations with existing payment rails are table stakes. Every product on this list integrates with Paystack, Flutterwave, or Moniepoint. That's not optional anymore.

5. Distribution > product. The best products aren't always the ones with the fanciest tech. They're the ones with clear distribution channels: partnerships with cooperatives, associations, local government councils, or platforms.

What's Missing

For all the activity, there are still significant gaps. Healthcare fintech is largely dormant (except for a few niche plays). B2B SaaS for manufacturing and supply chain is underdeveloped. And there's still no truly world-class product in the creator economy - most are solving local problems, not building for global scale.

If you're thinking about what to build next, these gaps are worth exploring. The founders who move into these spaces will have less competition and more runway.

FAQ

Q: Are these products actually profitable? A: Some are, some aren't. Uni, Gbedu, and Loop are cash-flow positive or close to it. Farmpay, Shamba, and Kola are still burning cash on customer acquisition but have unit economics that work. Ajo and Salam are pre-profitability but tracking well.

Q: How do I find these products? A: They're all live on LaunchPad. You can search by category or browse the latest launches. Many of the founders are active on Twitter/X and LinkedIn if you want to follow their progress.

Q: Which category should I build in if I'm starting a new company? A: Logistics is still broken and has high demand. Agritech has proven unit economics but is capital-intensive. Creator tools are early but fragmented. Pick the one where you have unfair advantage (domain expertise, network, or insight).

Q: Are any of these products hiring? A: Yes. Most of the founders are in growth mode and actively recruiting engineers, product managers, and operations people. Check their Twitter profiles or reach out to LaunchPad directly.

Q: How do these products compare to international competitors? A: Most are not trying to compete internationally yet. They're focused on the Nigerian market first. A few (Uni, Kola) have regional ambitions, but that's a 2027 conversation.

What to Do Next

If you're building a startup, use this list as a benchmark. Compare your product's traction, unit economics, and distribution strategy against these examples. If you're an investor, these are the products worth tracking closely in 2026 and beyond. And if you're a customer or user of any of these products, you're part of the ecosystem that's making Nigerian startups real.

For more context on the broader startup landscape, read Shipping from Naija: the state of the Nigerian startup ecosystem in 2026. And if you're building in a specific category, check out our deep dives on agritech, edtech, and creator economy tools.