Do you have a project that addresses one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals? Apply for funding from the iF Design Social Impact Prize before 13 September 2024
Do you have a project that addresses one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals? Apply for funding from the iF Design Social Impact Prize before 13 September 2024
International Forum Design invites applications for its Social Impact Prize program. This program supports projects that improve society while addressing one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Interested applicants can be companies, design studios, NGOs, foundations, public and other organisations, social enterprises, as well entrepreneurs.
Applicants should have projects answering one or more of the following questions:
- Does it approach or solve a relevant problem?
- Does it reflect moral-ethical standards?
- Does it strengthen group relations?
- Does it create a positive experience?
- Does it balance effort and use value?
Successful applicants will receive the following benefits:
- Compete for a share of EUR 100,000 cash prize
- Published on our iF Design Website
- Introduced to a global design community, the design interested public and media
- Projects selected by the jury receive an individual Winner Certificate
To apply, visit: Applications
Apply for the Westerwelle Young Founders Programme before 11 August 2024.
Apply for the Westerwelle Young Founders Programme before 11 August 2024.
The Westerwelle Startup Haus invites applicants for the Young Founders Programme’s Autumn Cohort. The 6-month Programme aims to support the development of entrepreneurs by providing participants with mentoring, peer learning, access to experts, and exposure to the Berlin startup ecosystem.
Successful applicants to the Programme will receive the following benefits:
- Mentorship: Each participant is paired with a successful entrepreneur or mentor who can provide guidance and support.
- Peer learning: Participants can network with other young entrepreneurs from around the world.
- Access to experts: The Programme features several expert sessions where participants can learn from business leaders.
- Exposure to the Berlin startup ecosystem: The Programme culminates in a 5-day conference in Berlin, where participants learn about the latest trends in the startup world.
Interested applicants should meet the following criteria to apply:
- Be between the ages of 18 and 35.
- Be a citizen of an emerging market.
- Have a viable business idea or startup.
- Be fluent in English.
To apply, visit: Applications.
Are you a dynamic entrepreneur looking to make a meaningful impact? Apply for the IGNITE Challenge before 23 June 2024.
Are you a dynamic entrepreneur looking to make a meaningful impact? Apply for the IGNITE Challenge before 23 June 2024.
Impact Hub Kigali, in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP), invites applicants for the third edition of the IGNITE Challenge. This initiative focuses on empowering refugees and enhancing their livelihoods by fostering entrepreneurship and investment in ventures that improve food systems, combat hunger, and elevate food security, particularly for refugee populations.
Success will receive the following benefits:
- Up to $25,000 in grant funding
- 5-month tailored technical support with experts
- Networking opportunities and access to events
- Access to market and industry resources
- Exposure to potential investors and funding opportunities
The Challenges target innovative and impactful businesses operating in Rwanda, including startups, MSMEs, and cooperatives. Applicants should have commercially viable solutions aimed at improving the livelihoods of refugees. Eligible businesses must be registered in Rwanda and actively engaged in operations owned by refugees or significantly benefit them.
The evaluation process for the IGNITE Challenge Third Edition will be based on the following criteria:
- Level of innovation: Assessing how the solution innovatively improves the livelihoods of refugees.
- Impact on refugees: Gauging the positive effect on the lives or circumstances of refugees.
- Financial sustainability: Determining the business model’s ability to generate revenue and maintain long-term viability.
- Level of traction: Evaluating the current traction of the business, demonstrated impact, and user engagement within refugee communities.
- Scalability: Examining the potential for the solution to grow and serve more refugees or communities.
- Team: Assessing the team’s experience and commitment to scaling the solution.
For more information about the program and application details, visit IGNITE Challenge.
Are you a startup leveraging technology to build solutions in the financial services sector? Apply for the UNDP Timbuktoo Fintech Startup Accelerator Programme before 20 June 2024
Are you a startup leveraging technology to build solutions in the financial services sector? Apply for the UNDP Timbuktoo Fintech Startup Accelerator Programme before 20 June 2024
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) invites applicants for the Timbuktoo Fintech Startup Accelerator Programme, a Pan-African initiative, spearheaded by the Timbuktoo Fintech Hub in Lagos, Nigeria. The Programme aims to support startups leveraging technology solutions in the financial services sector, targeting technology-focused entrepreneurs and startup founders across Africa. The Programme includes an immersive boot camp in July 2024, a 2-week physical residency in Lagos from 7 – 21 July, and a 5-month incubation and acceleration phase from August to December 2024.
Benefits for Successful Applicants
- Mentorship and coaching from Africa’s leading industry experts and seasoned entrepreneurs
- Equity-free funding of up to USD 25,000 to support startup growth
- Access to a network of fellow startup founders and entrepreneurs from across the African continent
- A platform to connect with and access potential investors and customers
- Participation in a 4-week immersive bootcamp with pitching sessions, masterclasses, and fireside chats
- Long-term tailored support for five months, including coaching, product refinement, and scaling opportunities
- Facilitation of partnerships for product iterations, market access, and capital raising
Eligibility Requirements for Interested Applicants
- Entrepreneurs and startup founders aged between 18 and 35
- Founders who are citizens of an African Union member state
- Startups must be locally owned and based in any African country
- Startups leveraging technology in the financial services sector
- Startups with a minimum viable product
- Startups with existing corporate governance systems, accountability, and social and environmental safeguards
To apply, visit Applications.
Are you a startup entrepreneur with an innovative tech solution that works to end global hunger? Apply for the WFF Startup Innovation Awards before 8 June 2024
Are you a startup entrepreneur with an innovative tech solution that works to end global hunger? Apply for the World Food Forum Startup Innovation Awards before 8 June 2024
The World Food Forum (WFF), an independent, youth-led global network of partners, invites applicants for the WFF Startup Innovation Awards powered by Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC). The awards were established to support and showcase innovators and entrepreneurs harnessing the power of technology to drive the sustainable transformation of agrifood systems in support of ending global hunger and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Successful applicants will have the opportunity to win the following awards:
- Digital Innovation in Food Processing
- Empowering Women in Agrifood Systems
- Food Loss
- Good Food for All, for Today and Tomorrow
Additionally, finalists and award winners will have the opportunity to gain global visibility, raise capital, network with international entities, and identify membership opportunities to support pioneering tech breakthroughs.
Interested applicants must fulfil the following to apply:
- Be legally incorporated as a business enterprise
- Not a publicly-traded company
- Agree that only non-confidential information is being submitted and there is no confidentiality agreement implied between XTC, its partners, and applicants regarding submitted pitch decks.
For more information on the awards and application details, visit WFF Startup Innovation Awards.
Do you work in an organization or network supporting entrepreneurs with businesses related to sustainability and green transition? Apply for the Impact Pioneers ’24: Enabling Impact Entrepreneurship Leadership Programme.
Do you work in an organization or network supporting entrepreneurs with businesses related to sustainability and green transition? Apply for the Impact Pioneers ’24: Enabling Impact Entrepreneurship Leadership Programme.
The Swedish Institute invites applicants for the Impact Pioneers: Enabling Impact Entrepreneurship Leadership Programme. The hybrid Programme targets entrepreneurship ecosystem enablers, leaders and practitioners working in organizations and networks developing their support for entrepreneurs with businesses related to sustainability and green transition. This Programme seeks to set a solid foundation for future partnerships to benefit impact startups as they seek to expand their growth, reach and overall impact.
Successful applicants to the Programme will benefit from the following:
- Growth from the exchange of experience with an international community of peers
- Opportunity to learn new insights from impact entrepreneurship and innovation forefront, including practical cases, tools and frameworks
- First-hand experience of the impact entrepreneurship community in Stockholm
- Opportunity to build long-term relations with Swedish foreign missions and impact entrepreneurs.
Interested applicants must meet the following requirements to apply:
- Be a citizen and resident of one of the 22 programme countries
- Work in an organization or business systematically working to nurture and grow entrepreneurs.
- Have the mandate to develop new international partnerships for your organization/business.
- Have an excellent working knowledge of both written and spoken English.
- Be willing to actively participate, provide support and share their experience and knowledge with other participants.
- Have identified opportunities and challenges that could be worked on during the Programme to help their organization improve its contribution to the local entrepreneurship ecosystem
The applicant’s local organization or business must also meet the following criteria:
- Be locally owned and based in one of the programme countries.
- Be somehow hosting/coaching (or be in the process of starting up hosting/coaching of) entrepreneurs with business ideas that are related to sustainability and green transition.
- Run the organization/business, focusing on contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Apply before 31 May 2024 using this link: Application form.
Are you a Rwandan early stage startup in the circular economy? Apply for funding and business development support from the AfriCircular Innovators Programme before 26 May 2024
Are you a Rwandan early stage startup in the circular economy? Apply for funding and business development support from the AfriCircular Innovators Programme before 26 May 2024
The African Development Bank, under their Africa Circular Economy Facility (ACEF), in partnership with the African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA) and Impact Hub Kigali, invite applicants from Rwanda, Ghana, and Ivory Coast for the AfriCircular Innovators Programme.
Through this programme, successful participants will benefit from the following:
- Access to customized training sessions, masterclasses and workshops covering a diverse range of topics tailored to meet the needs of each venture
- Access to personal coaching sessions for each entrepreneur to offer guidance on applying program insights effectively and maintain focus on circular solutions development
- Access to peer-to-peer learning platforms to exchange experiences, address challenges, and explore collaborative ventures with peers across different hubs
- Access to facilitated market linkages and industry connections including circular market places, investor roundtables, entrepreneurial showcases, business tours, and expert panel discussions
- Access to grant funding for market exploration and product development
- Access to demo day event and road show for 10 selected entrepreneurs
This programme innovative startups who are the early stage of their entrepreneurial journey with thematic solutions that fall under the five big bets as defined by ACEA including food systems, packaging, electronics, fashion and textiles, and built environment. Interested participants should be based in either Rwanda, Ghana or Ivory Coast, and have an African founder or majority of the management team being African.
To learn more about the programme and the evaluation process, visit: AfriCircular Innovators Programme. To apply, visit Application form
Are you a startup in need of funding and expert support? Apply to the ongoing Gen F Entrepreneur in Residence Initiative.
Are you a startup in need of funding and expert support? Apply to the ongoing Gen F Entrepreneur in Residence Initiative.
Founders Factory Africa, a pan-African investment company, invites applicants to the Generation Founder (Gen F) Entrepreneur in Residence initiative. This founder-led initiative supports startups in developing and testing their concepts and provides them with funding of up to USD 250,000 to validate and launch their idea.
Successful applicants will receive the following benefits:
- Access to experts to refine your concept for 12 weeks
- A budget to test, learn and budget to validate your idea
- Funding upon internal approval of up to USD 250,000
Interested applicants must fulfil the following criteria to apply:
- Domain experts who have a unique insight into the problem they are trying to solve
- Corporate professionals looking to move into entrepreneurship due to a gap in the market that they have identified
- Senior operators who have worked in an African startup previously
- Founders with a well-researched concept solving a deep African problem in a large market
- Founders who can commit full-time to refine and validate their concept for 10-12 weeks and then move full-time into their startup
- Ideas with high potential for commercial returns, with embedded impact
- Founders who are at the earliest stages of building their startup idea (pre-revenue)
- Former startup founders who understand what it takes to build startup ideas
For more information and application details, visit Gen F Entrepreneur in Residence initiative
Do you have an impactful solution addressing health challenges in Africa? Apply for mentorship and support from the Africa Oxford Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship programme before 31 May 2024
Do you have an impactful solution addressing health challenges in Africa? Apply for mentorship and support from the Africa Oxford Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship programme before 31 May 2024
The University of Oxford, through its Africa Oxford Initiative, invites applicants to the Africa Oxford Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship programme. The multi-disciplinary programme seeks to support African innovators in building high-growth startups with real impact to address health and improve livelihoods on the continent.
The 50 successful applicants will complete a self-paced interactive virtual programme over 16 weeks. The programme will cover systems thinking, making financial projections, writing and delivering a pitch, and navigating intellectual property and regulatory hurdles. Additionally, the participants will be offered personalized mentorship and support to develop their ventures and a platform for networking with fellow innovators.
Interested participants should at least have high-impact solutions aimed at:
- Reducing premature deaths from non reducing premature deaths from non-communicable diseases amongst African populations
- Optimizing diagnostic and prognostic tests for African contexts
- Novel diagnostic tools to increase resilience to endemic diseases
- Preventing, diagnosing or treating zoonotic diseases
Furthermore, interested applicants must fulfil the following to apply:
- Be a national of an African country or have indefinite leave to remain in an African country
- Be based in an African country in which they must be a legal resident
- Be developing the proposed health solution in their host country
For more information, visit Africa Oxford Health Innovation. To apply, visit Application form.
Are you a tech startup interested in scaling your business? Apply for the SLINGSHOT 2024 Competition before 1 July 2024
Are you a tech startup interested in scaling your business? Apply for the SLINGSHOT 2024 Competition before 1 July 2024
SLINGSHOT 2024, a tech startup pitch competition powered by STARTUP SG, invites applicants for its 2024 edition. The program is a unique opportunity for deep tech startups to accelerate their growth and gain exposure in the global market. Through SLINGSHOT 2024, 50 selected startups will have a chance to be immersed in Asia’s leading startup community and win cash prizes. Successful applicants will also receive the following benefits:
- Pitching Workshops: Participants will attend workshops led by industry experts to learn how to craft compelling pitches and effectively communicate their value proposition.
- Mentorship: Participants will be paired with experienced mentors who will provide guidance and support throughout the competition, helping startups refine their business strategies and navigate the challenges of the deep tech industry.
- Networking Opportunities: SLINGSHOT 2024 will facilitate networking events, allowing startups to connect with potential investors, partners, and customers, as well as learn from the experiences of other deep tech entrepreneurs.
- Exposure: The competition provides a platform for startups to showcase their innovative solutions to a global audience, increasing their visibility and credibility in the deep tech industry.
- Funding Opportunities: Winners of SLINGSHOT 2024 will receive cash prizes and potential investment opportunities from venture capital firms and angel investors.
- Business Support: Startups will have access to resources and support services, such as legal advice, market research, and office space, to help them scale their businesses.
- Knowledge Sharing: Participants will gain valuable insights and learn best practices from industry experts, mentors, and fellow entrepreneurs.
Interested participants should meet the following criteria to apply:
- Focus on Deep Tech: Startups must be developing innovative solutions in the deep tech industry, such as:
- Consumer Media, Goods and Services
- Environment, Energy and Green Technologies
- Health and Biomedical
- Manufacturing, Trade and Connectivity
- Transformative Digital Technologies
- Early-Stage: The competition is open to startups in the pre-seed, seed, or Series A funding stages
- Traction: Startups should demonstrate traction in their target market, such as having a minimum viable product, customer validation, or early revenue.
- Team: Startups must have a dedicated and skilled team with the necessary expertise to execute their business plan.
- Commitment: Participants must be committed to attending the training program and actively engaging in the competition.
To apply for the program, visit: SLINGSHOT 2024 Application