We are delighted to announce Haneefah Adam as the winner of the inaugural Ventures Platform–YSMA Futures Art Award, a public art commission launched as part of our three-year collaboration with the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art and Pan-Atlantic University. Established in celebration of Ventures Platform’s 10th anniversary, the partnership brings together art, innovation, and entrepreneurial learning through a university-wide engagement programme and an annual commission for public-facing sculptures that explore innovation, the future, and public engagement. A multidisciplinary artist, Haneefah’s practice spans sculpture, installation, painting, photography, embroidery, digital illustration, and food art. Her work explores identity, memory, culture, motherhood, and representation, and has been exhibited locally and internationally, with features by CNN, BBC, and the Financial Times. Selected through a competitive open call and rigorous jury process, Haneefah’s winning proposal, Bloom in Unexpected Places, stood out for its originality, conceptual strength, and compelling interpretation of the Award’s theme: Reimagine the future and build into form through art. As the inaugural recipient, she will create a 12-foot public sculpture to be permanently installed within the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art and Pan-Atlantic University environment, creating a space for reflection, gathering, and imagining more humane futures. We look forward to unveiling Bloom in Unexpected Places this October. #venturesplatform #yemisishyllonmuseum #HaneefahAdam #backedbyvp

10 years! 🎉 A decade ago, we started with a simple belief — that Africa's most transformative ideas were already here, waiting to be backed, built, and believed in. From an on-campus accelerator in an art-wrapped container building to an institutional fund that has backed over 100 companies across the continent — we've spent ten years investing in founders, in systems, and in the environments where innovation takes root. As we mark this anniversary, we've been reflecting on what the next ten years ask of us. So in the spirit of who we are, we've partnered with the Pan-Atlantic University @pau_nigeria and Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art @shyllonmuseum on two initiatives: a Student Entrepreneurship Engagement Programme and the VP–YSMA Futures Art Award. Because the next ten years will be built by people who are equal parts curious, creative, and courageous. Watch our Founding Partner, @kola_aina , share more. #VenturesPlatform #VP10 #FuturesArtAward #YSMA #Technology #Innovation #AfricanArt