20 speakers. 5 panels. One afternoon of focused conversation between founders, investors, regulators, and operators. No keynotes.
Sidebrief, the regulatory technology company that helps startups and businesses manage incorporation, compliance, and corporate filings across African markets, is launching a new quarterly event series called Signal, in partnership with Diligence Africa and Impact Hub Lagos. The inaugural edition holds on Friday, March 27, 2026, at Impact Hub Lagos (22 Glover Road, Ikoyi) from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, followed by networking and drinks.
Signal is designed as a tightly curated, panel-driven event that brings together 20 speakers across 5 moderated conversations in a single afternoon. There are no keynote presentations and no product demos — just structured dialogue between the people building, funding, regulating, and scaling startups across the continent.
What Signal covers
Each edition of Signal is organised around five panel themes chosen to reflect the most pressing conversations in Africa’s startup ecosystem. For the inaugural Q1 2026 edition, those themes are: Regulatory and Operations; Ecosystem and Start-up Support; Raising Capital and Investment; Scaling and Expansion; and Founder Stories and Media.
The format is intentional. By keeping the event to one afternoon and limiting speakers to 20, Signal aims to create a space where conversations go deeper than the typical conference panel, with speakers drawn from different parts of the ecosystem sitting alongside each other rather than presenting at each other.
The speakers
The confirmed speaker roster draws from a wide cross-section of Nigeria’s startup landscape:
The Regulatory and Operations panel features Seyi Babatunde (HR Leverage), Usman Sotunde (Sidebrief), and Temidayo Ajayi (Detail Solicitors). Ecosystem and Start-up Support brings together Kevwe from Impact Hub Lagos, Samuel Orji, Ina Alogwu (T2 Mobile/ARM), and Ayo Arikawe (Velocity Capital).
The Raising Capital and Investment panel includes Fisayo (Enza Capital), Damilola Thompson (Diligence Africa), and Taiwo Kamson (EchoVC).Scaling and Expansion features Nnamdi Okoh (Terminal Africa), Frank Atube (Seamfix), and Tobi Odukoya (CDCare).
The closing panel, Founder Stories and Media, pairs founders Isaac John (Zabira) and Folake Edun (Towntalk) with technology journalists Emmanuel Nwosu (TechCabal) and Asukwo Oduo (Techpoint Africa) — a rare format that puts the people building companies and the people covering them in the same conversation.
Why Sidebrief is behind it
According to Sidebrief, Signal grows directly out of the company’s work processing compliance and corporate structuring for startups across African markets. Through that work, the company says it has identified recurring gaps in communication between founders, investors, regulators, and operators — gaps that lead to avoidable friction around governance, fundraising readiness, and cross-border expansion.
Signal is Sidebrief’s attempt to close those gaps through direct, recurring conversation rather than more content or one-off gatherings. The company plans to host Signal quarterly, with each edition featuring a fresh set of speakers and themes calibrated to whatever the ecosystem is grappling with at the time.
Event details
Event: Signal Q1 2026 (Inaugural Edition)
Presented by: Sidebrief, in partnership with Diligence Africa and Impact Hub Lagos
Date: Friday, March 27, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (networking and drinks to follow)
Venue: Impact Hub Lagos, 22 Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos
Format: 20 speakers, 5 panels, one afternoon
Registration: https://luma.com/SignalQ1
Hashtag: #SIGNAL26
Speakers represent organisations including HR Leverage, Sidebrief, Detail Solicitors, Impact Hub Lagos, T2 Mobile/ARM, Velocity Capital, Enza Capital, Diligence Africa, EchoVC, Terminal Africa, Seamfix, CDCare, Zabira, Towntalk, TechCabal, and Techpoint Africa.
Registration is open. Capacity is limited.
