Notilian Joins FasterCapital EquityPilot to Scale Birthday Contest Platform Globally

   Notilian Joins FasterCapital EquityPilot to Scale Birthday Contest Platform Globally

Notilian and FasterCapital today announced a strategic partnership through FasterCapital's EquityPilot program to accelerate Notilian's Birthday Challenge Contest App. Effective Dec. 21, 2025, the collaboration will target Nigeria and broader African markets first validating a high-growth digital celebrations niche with product development, go-to-market support, and funding access.

Market opportunity & problem statement

Birthdays and milestone celebrations are a global cultural constant more than 2 billion birthdays are celebrated annually yet mainstream social platforms lack monetized, contest-driven celebration experiences. The

creator economy is projected to exceed $250B by 2027, and fans increasingly seek interactive ways to engage and financially support creators. Existing contest apps are fragmented, impersonal, and offer limited fan-driven monetization. Notilian targets this white space by enabling personalized, seasonally curated contests that turn celebrations into social competitions with direct revenue paths for participants and sponsors.

Startup solution & differentiation

Notilian's Birthday Challenge Contest App blends gamification, creator monetization, and social celebration into a single platform. Core features include royalty tickets (subscription-based contest entry), paid voting

mechanics, contestant-driven promo codes, real-time leaderboards, seasonal cash and sponsorship rewards, and premium contest verticals (music, dance, style, anniversaries). The app's dark-mode branded UI/UX and multi-gateway payment integrations (Stripe, Paystack, PayPal, GPay, cards) deliver frictionless monetization in key markets. Early marketing and investor interest, closed-beta designs, and secure payment architecture position Notilian with defensible first-mover advantages in a niche unaddressed by mainstream social apps.

FasterCapital partnership value

Through its EquityPilot program, FasterCapital will provide Notilian with product engineering resources, go-to-market playbooks, mentor networks, and investor introductions, alongside selective capital and operational support. FasterCapital's global track record and rigorous selection criteria ensure partners meet product-market fit and growth readiness benchmarks see FasterCapital for program details. The collaboration sets a three-phase

acceleration plan: MVP completion and closed beta (01-02 2026), user acquisition and sponsorships (03), and premium contest monetization and regional expansion (04), with targeted fundraising support to reach the startup's $500,000 pre-seed ask.

Executive quotes

"Hesham Zreik"; "We invest in teams that transform everyday moments into scalable businesses. Notilian's combination of community-driven contests and multiple monetization levers presents a strong product-market fit in an under-monetized segment. FasterCapital's EquityPilot is designed to catalyze this trajectory," said Hesham Zreik, highlighting strategic fit and acceleration potential.

Lawrence U. lkamaenyin, Founder & CEO, Notilian: "Notilian was founded to make milestones meaningful and rewarding. Partnering with FasterCapital brings the technical, operational, and investor expertise we need to turn a validated prototype into a market-leading platform that empowers creators and delights fans."

Growth trajectory & future plans

Near-term milestones include completing the MVP, launching a closed beta in Nigeria, and hitting 50,000 active users by 03 2026. Notilian aims for 100,000+ users and $ 1M+ GMV by year-end through ticket and voting

revenue, sponsorships, and premium contests. The roadmap prioritizes product security, payments scale, influencer partnerships, and phased geographic expansion across Africa and into global diasporas, with an ongoing capital plan for a seed round post-EquityPilot.

About Notilian

Notilian is a digital-first entertainment platform reimagining birthdays and milestones through competitive, fan-funded contests. Founded in 2025 by Lawrence U. lkamaenyin, Notilian's mission is to enable creative, community­ driven celebrations that reward participants and engage fans via subscriptions, voting fees, and premium contests.

About FasterCapital

FasterCapital is a global venture builder and online incubator dedicated to co-funding and co-founding innovative startups. Established in 2014, we are now #1 venture builder in terms of the number of startups that we have helped, money invested and money raised. It supports startups worldwide through various programs, including funding assistance, business development, and technical support. The EquityPilot program is designed to help early-stage startups build scalable solutions with mentorship, strategic guidance, and network support.