How a UNILAG student won Red Bull Basement with a livestock tracker that detects illness early

A UNILAG student has won Red Bull Basement with Vital-Tag, a device that tracks livestock vitals and feeding behaviour to detect illness early, helping farmers act faster and potentially reduce costly animal losses.

On April 4, 2026, Jesutofunmi Oniyide was crowned the winner of Red Bull Basement Nigeria, beating over 3,000 students and entrepreneurs from across the country.

Red Bull Basement is a global innovation programme that empowers student founders and first-time entrepreneurs to turn bold ideas into real-world solutions. It offers mentorship and global exposure, helping young innovators build products that can impact industries and communities.

Oniyide’s idea stood out. Judges, including Odunayo Eweniyi of PiggyVest and software engineer Mercy Thadeus, described it as both practical and innovative—qualities that ultimately secured his win.

A Vital-Tag for livestock farmers  

Jesutofunmi Oniyide, Winner of Red Bull Basement Nigeria Finals 2024

Oniyide, a final-year Mechatronics Engineering student at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), says he was driven by a simple observation: livestock deaths can be financially devastating for farmers.

“I thought it didn’t make sense that with the amount of technology available today, things like this still happen,” he said while pitching his solution.

Vital-Tag is a smart IoT device designed to be attached to livestock such as cows, pigs, and sheep. Worn around the animal’s neck, it tracks key health indicators such as temperature, heart rate, and jaw movement, then sends this data to farmers via SMS at intervals.

These vitals are core indicators veterinarians rely on to assess livestock health. Research shows that changes in temperature and heart rate are often among the earliest detectable signs of disease, sometimes appearing before visible symptoms.

Related Story:

Are African innovators doomed to sell airtime?