Starbase Technologies, a global technology ecosystem connecting creators and innovators to build technology solutions and launch software projects, has stepped up its engagement with Nigerian digital creators through its new social entertainment platform, Yolly.

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The company promoted the platform during PodFest Naija 2026, held on Friday, September 25, at Harbour Point, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Speaking during a panel session at the event, Yolly’s Head of Business, Emeka Okenwa, said the platform was designed to reward users for watching, streaming and creating content.

He also highlighted Yolly’s model of allowing creators to earn from their first stream, without having to build a large following before accessing monetisation opportunities.

Okenwa said the platform was created partly in response to what he described as the limited earning opportunities available to many African creators compared with their counterparts in other parts of the world.

“We believe that a lot of Nigerian creators are being shortchanged and the earning capacity of our creators are way below the earnings of their contemporaries outside Nigeria,” he said.

He said Yolly aims to remove the requirement for creators to have a huge following before they can generate value from their content.

“With Yolly, we are trying to remove that barrier that until you have huge followers before you can earn value. If you have one user, you can as well have the value of that user,” Okenwa said.

He added that the platform was designed with African creators in mind and would facilitate payments regardless of the currency involved.

“Some payment platforms do not support what we do here in Africa. With Yolly, it is by Africans for Africa and you can also get your payment as at when due, no matter the currency involved,” he said.

As part of its support for emerging creators, Yolly sponsored prizes for the second and third-place winners in the Next Big Podcaster category at PodFest Naija 2026.

Kelvin Raphael and Samson Tara Igarama received N500,000 each as first and second runners-up respectively.

Okenwa said the sponsorship was aimed at giving new creators greater visibility while supporting their development in the creative industry.

“Yolly sponsored the 2nd and 3rd place winners of The Next Big Podcast as a way of giving new entrants a platform to be seen and heard as well as empowering them beyond their expectations,” he said.

Raphael described the recognition as an important moment in his creative journey.

“This is a big moment for me, and I am genuinely grateful to Yolly for supporting this competition and sponsoring the prize. This has given me even more motivation to keep creating and pushing myself,” he said.

Igarama also welcomed the support, saying the opportunity demonstrated the importance of investing in emerging creative talent.

“I am really excited about winning, but beyond the prize itself, I appreciate Yolly for creating this opportunity where emerging creators like me can be seen and encouraged,” she said.

Launched on August 1, 2026, Yolly introduces a social entertainment model that seeks to allow people who contribute content to the internet to participate in the value generated from their activities.

The platform features content across several categories, including music, entertainment, sports, comedy, lifestyle, education, technology and fitness.

According to Starbase Technologies, Yolly is built around the idea that creators should have opportunities to earn from their work without necessarily having to first build large audiences.

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The company said its continued engagement with creators and innovators forms part of its broader effort to support the development of Nigeria’s digital and creative economy.