At the recently concluded Zenith Tech Fair 2024, all eyes were on Jump n Pass, the self-checkout retail technology platform that clinched the grand prize of ₦25 million, emerging as the overall winner of the fiercely competitive Zenith Bank Hackathon.
But behind the scenes of this groundbreaking win was the strategic and innovative design leadership of Nkeiruka Ifeonu, the Lead Product Designer at Jump n Pass. Known for her intuitive, human-centered approach to digital experiences, Nkeiruka’s contributions were not only instrumental, they were transformational.
Competing against over 1,700 startups, Jump n Pass stood out with its bold mission to revolutionize in-store shopping experiences across Africa using seamless self-checkout solutions. However, what gave the platform its winning edge wasn’t just the concept, it was the execution, the product experience, and the clarity of its design.
And that’s where Nkeiruka Ifeonu came in.
As the Lead Product Designer, Nkeiruka led the complete redesign of the Jump n Pass mobile app in preparation for the hackathon. She reimagined the user flows, checkout processes, barcode scanning systems, and merchant dashboards, ensuring that the product didn’t simply function, it delighted.
“We knew the idea was solid, but ideas aren’t enough. My role was to ensure the design and user experience could carry the weight of the vision,” Nkeiruka shared. “From refining the user interface to optimizing the product journey, I was involved at every level.”
Nkeiruka’s design approach is known for marrying aesthetic simplicity with operational clarity, and she brought that philosophy to every screen, flow, and interaction.
During the course of the hackathon, she worked closely with the product and engineering teams, tweaking and correcting processes in real-time, adjusting for feedback, edge cases, and performance. Her focus on seamless interactions, real-world retail behavior, and accessible design enabled the team to present a product that was not only technically robust but also deeply user-centric.
It wasn’t only about building a checkout tool, it was about designing an experience that retail users would adopt, trust, and rely on.
“The design told the story before we even pitched. Judges could feel the frictionless vision we were trying to deliver,” said CTO of Jump n Pass Qudus Quadri.
The 2024 Zenith Tech Fair, themed “Future Forward 4.0: Embedded Finance, Cybersecurity and Growth Imperatives – The Impact of AI,” was held on November 21 at Eko Hotels & Suites in Lagos. Ten startup finalists shared a total prize pool of ₦77.5 million, with Jump n Pass taking the lead prize.
Other finalists included CreditChek (₦20M), Salad Africa (₦15M), and six others, each receiving ₦2.5M. But it was Jump n Pass’s bold solution, powered by Nkeiruka’s strategic product design, that caught the attention of the judges and industry leaders alike.
Along with the cash prize, Jump n Pass will also benefit from a six-week mentorship and incubation programme designed to help them scale from December 2024 to February 2025. And with Nkeiruka’s leadership, the startup is poised not only to grow but to dominate.
Her work on Jump n Pass is part of a broader pattern of impact. From healthtech to retail, Nkeiruka continues to deliver digital experiences that are empathetic, scalable, and grounded in human behavior. With each redesign, each prototype, and each product iteration, she proves that great design isn’t about how things look only, it’s about how well they work and how far they can go.
Jump n Pass is backed by Techstars, a globally renowned accelerator, and Nkeiruka’s impact as lead product designer played a major role in bringing that level of attention and backing to the company. Before this, she also contributed to OneHealthNG, an innovative healthtech platform funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where her design decisions improved access and usability for pharmaceutical and diagnostic services across Nigeria.
With an impressive track record and a creative edge that drives results, Nkeiruka Ifeonu is designing digital products while actively shaping the future of African technology.
