Apply for the Young Global Changers Recoupling Awards before 5 January 2022
Apply for the Young Global Changers Recoupling Awards before 5 January 2022
The Global Solutions Initiative, a global collaborative enterprise, seeks to reward projects and initiatives by young people through the Young Global Changers Recoupling Awards under the Young Global Changer program. The Young Global Changers program brings together young people from around the world who are working towards a global paradigm shift, combining their talents and becoming a strong voice for change.
The program seeks young innovators whose projects embody a recoupling approach guided by a people-centric approach that puts the needs of the target beneficiaries and stakeholders at the centre. The proposed projects should align economic and political activities with environmental sustainability and social prosperity.
The first round of successful applicants will receive the benefits including paid travel to and from Berlin, free admission to the Global solutions summit 2022, accommodation for the time of the Global solutions summit (three nights, March 27-30, 2022) and networking opportunities with experts in academia, business, political and civil society. Semi-finalists will be offered a chance to be part of the Young Global Changer network, an opportunity to present their project on the Global Solutions website, and invitations to events and collaborative projects. The last ten finalists to advance will be offered a scholarship to participate in the Global Solutions Summit 2022, an opportunity to present their project to the jury and international audience and exclusive networking opportunities. Lastly, three participants will be selected from the 10 finalists to receive cash awards of 5000 Euros, 2000 Euros and 1000 Euros
Selection of the applicants will be based on the following criteria:
- Young entrepreneurs or innovators who have started or are involved in a leading role in a social enterprise that aligns economic activity with environmental sustainability and social prosperity.
- Young business leaders aiming at changing “business as usual” from the inside (“intrapreneurs”).
- Young nonprofit actors, community organizers, advocacy leaders, campaigners, or implementers of social, economic, or environmental change locally or even globally.
- The project, business or initiative applied for needs to aim at recoupling, i.e. a better alignment of economic or political activities with social well-being and environmental sustainability.
- The applicant should have a leading position in the project/initiative they are applying with. (e.g. founder, co-founder, project-lead, initiator or a similar role.)
- The applicant needs to be between the ages of 18 and 35.
- Applicants need to be willing and motivated to become active members of a global network that aims at bringing about lasting global change.
To apply for this program, visit: Young Global Changer
Are you a student or a young innovator? Apply for Westerwelle Start-up Haus Ideate Program by 8 December!
Are you a student or a young innovator? Apply for Westerwelle Start-up Haus Ideate Program by 8 December!
In partnership with the US Embassy in Rwanda, Westerwelle Start-up Haus Kigali seeks to support young social innovators through the Ideate Rwanda program. Ideate Rwanda is a program that aims to empower young innovators to launch tech start-ups with a positive social impact.
Through the program, over 80 innovators will be selected to participate in a hackathon on 13th December 2021. From this group, 10 participants will be selected and provided with resources to support them in developing tech solutions for social challenges in their communities.
These participants will have the opportunity to complete a 4-month program at the Westerwelle Startup Haus Kigali starting in January 2022. They will benefit from:
- Capacity building workshops
- Networking opportunities with a community of entrepreneurs
- Promotion of their developed solutions
The selection of hackathon participants will be based on the following criteria:
- The project demonstrates a positive social impact on the community
- Team/individual demonstrate the ability to execute their vision into reality
- Project/idea has an innovative model
Interested applicants should apply by 8th December 2021.
To apply, visit: Application
Are you an entrepreneur in the energy sector? Apply for the Cooking Energy Business Growth Fund by December 19
Are you an entrepreneur in the energy sector? Apply for the Cooking Energy Business Growth Fund by December 19
Energising Development (EnDev), a multi-donor funded, multi-country initiative that supports sustainable access to modern energy, seeks applicants for their Cooking Energy Business Growth Fund (CEBGF) for Rwanda. The Fund is implemented by GIZ, a German development agency, and SNV, a Netherlands Development Organisation, in partnership with Inkomoko Entrepreneurship Development and funded by the European Union and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Through the Fund, EnDev aims to identify and support up to ten companies and cooperatives in Rwanda with outstanding ideas that create affordable and clean cooking solutions that will improve household cooking practices in Rwanda. These ideas should also address Rwanda’s environmental and health challenges, such as indoor pollution and deforestation.
EnDev will offer successful businesses an investment grant to support implementing one or more clearly defined goals with this initiative. CBEGF will also include a capacity-building offer from Inkomoko Entrepreneurship Development, covering training, business assessment, investment readiness, and pitch presentation.
Selected or winning companies and cooperatives will receive grant funding, cash prizes, and in-kind support for their business idea with a total cost of up to RWF 50 million. CEBGF shall support 10% to 80% of the total cost of implementing the business idea.
Interested applicants should fulfil the following criteria to apply:
- Idea or business must reduce the consumption of firewood or switch to other types of cooking energy (except LPG)
- The business must be registered with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) or Rwanda Cooperative Society (RCA)
- The total investment required to implement the idea or solution should not be above 50 million Rwandan francs
- The business must be seeking funding for 10% to 80% of the total cost of implementing the business idea or solution
- The business must have been in operation for at least six months
Applications will be evaluated based on the following:
- Expected benefits of the proposed activity or idea
- Economic viability and sustainability of the proposed activity or idea
- Viability, robustness and institutional strengths of the business (e.g. team composition, assets, own financial contribution, prior recognition)
- The degree to which the proposal accelerates sustainable market development for improved/clean cooking solutions in Rwanda, avoiding market distortion or unfair competition (e.g., third-party funded free distribution)
To apply for the Fund, visit: Application form
Apply for the Innovation for Climate Resilience Fund.
Apply for the Innovation for Climate Resilience Fund.
The Global Innovation Fund (GIF), a UK-based non-profit impact investment fund, has launched the Innovation for Climate Resilience Fund. The Fund seeks to support entrepreneurs in climate resilience and adaptation and was established in partnership with the Adaption Research Alliance and Global Resilience Partnership, with seed funding from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
The Fund aims to address the challenge of generating evidence of impact and scalability of climate innovations through working with innovators to improve the rigor of measurement and evaluation towards climate resilience and adaptation.
The Innovation for Climate Resilience fund will finance innovators through grants, equity, and debt instruments, whose innovations demonstrate potential to scale and support the world’s poorest to build resilience and adaption. Global Innovation Fund has a staged funding approach where innovations in the pilot stage can receive up to USD 230 000, innovations in the testing and transition stage receive up to USD 2.3 million, and innovations in the scaling-up stage receive up to USD 15 million.
Innovations eligible for funding should fulfil the following:
- Have an innovation focused on the poor
- Present novel approaches
- Be able to improve upon alternative solutions
- Have innovations backed by evidence of potential impact
- Innovation can be applied in several different settings
- Demonstrate a potential to scale to reach millions of people
- Be led by strong and dynamic teams
- Be ready for investment
- Demonstrate potential to generate new knowledge on what works
- Demonstrate a clear role for Global Innovation Fund
To apply for the Fund, visit Innovation for Climate Resilience Fund.
Are you a social business with a solution for sustainable food systems looking to scale up? Apply for the Grow Up Social Incubator by November 21!
Are you a social business with a solution for sustainable food systems looking to scale up? Apply for the Grow Up Social Incubator by November 21!
Yunus Environment Hub, a global social business network focused on creating solutions for the environmental crisis, is launching its 2022 cohort of the GrowUp Incubator for social businesses focusing on sustainable food systems in East Africa. The GrowUp Incubator aims to support and grow the skills of early-stage entrepreneurs who can create sustainable environmental and social impact. The cohort will support social business entrepreneurs in Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Burundi. The program provides critical support to social business entrepreneurs in a post-revenue stage.
Why should you join the Grow Up Social Incubator?
Successful applicants will receive access to the following benefits through the 6-month program:
- Bi-weekly tailored mentorship
- Interactive capacity-building bootcamp and training
- Networking with local partners
- Peer-to-peer support to share challenges and discover solutions
Who is eligible to apply?
To be eligible, your business must:
- Be located in one of the above-mentioned target countries in East Africa
- Solve a challenge within one or more thematic areas related to food systems
- Be beyond the experimentation stage
- Have your product/service on the market for 6 months to 3 years
- Be legally registered or plan on doing it during the incubation program
- Be led by a person or by the community (i.e., through a cooperative model)
- Be able to demonstrate substantial environmental and social impact
- Be in pre-seed investment but the post-revenue stage
- Have accumulated sales to date of approximately 10,000 – 25,000 USD
- Have 2-3 people from the team who will participate in the program
- Have regular access to stable internet to participate in mentoring sessions and cohort events
How to apply
Social businesses that are eligible can apply by completing the application form here.
If you are interested in becoming a mentor for the cohort, please find the Terms of Reference and apply here.
Application Deadline: 21 November 2021
For more information,
Email: Anna.Khudiiash@yunuseh.com.
Are you an early or growth stage startup interested in scaling your business? Apply for the THRIVE VIII Accelerator program 2022
Are you an early or growth stage startup interested in scaling your business? Apply for the THRIVE VIII Accelerator program 2022
The THRIVE Accelerator program seeks applicants for the THRIVE VIII Accelerator program 2022. The program targets and supports early and growth-stage startups active in various agriculture value chains to facilitate their business growth. The annual program offers a three month virtual and in-person training that provides investment opportunities and direct access to practical learnings from Central California’s largest agriculture companies.
Why should you join the program?
By joining the program, successful applicants will get the following benefits:
- Investment funding of up to $100,000 ($50,000 cash, $50k in program value).
- Access to an extensive partner network inclusive of over 6,000 farmers, growers, and agriculture partners for technology adoption
- Mentorship and coaching from experts and industry leaders from our extensive global entrepreneur network
- Participation in our award-winning program that will validate your startup to potential investors and give you access to THRIVE’s ecosystem
Who is eligible to apply?
To be eligible, applicants must have technologies that drive towards a more efficient, sustainable and secure agriculture future with a focus on:
- Supply chain management and traceability
- Big data and predictive analytics
- Biotechnology
- Indoor farming
- Animal health and livestock
How to apply
Eligible startups can apply by filling in the form here.
Application Deadline: 05th November 2021.
For more information, visit https://thriveagrifood.com/
20 September Deadline for the Ecobank Fintech Challenge – Apply Now
20 September Deadline for the Ecobank Fintech Challenge – Apply Now
Ecobank has launched the Ecobank Fintech Challenge to identify and partner with FinTechs that are ready to scale. Ecobank will provide successful applicants with support and access to opportunities across Ecobank’s 33 African markets.
The Ecobank Fintech Challenge is open to all Fintechs on the African continent. It will offer participants the opportunity to participate in Ecobank’s FinTech innovation fair and join the Ecobank FinTech fellowship. Other potential benefits for selected firms include:
- Access to 33 markets Stand a chance to be among the top three winners at the challenge awarded with $15000, $12000 and $10000 cash prizes, respectively.
- An opportunity to partner with Ecobank locally in any of Ecobank’s 33 country ecosystem.
- Access to a dedicated team to support FinTechs with Ecobank’s API test to enable them to improve their products for the pan-African market.
- Access to a vast network of global and African accelerators as well as potential investors and mentors.
- Potential integration with Ecobank’s existing digital offerings such as Ecobank Omni, Ecobank electronic financial supply chain (eFSC), Ecobank Xpress, Ecobank Mobile APP or USSD, MasterPass QR, mVisa & mCash.
To qualify, FinTechs should make sure their products address one or more specific pain points, including customer experience, financial inclusion, credit scoring, ecosystem aggregation, internal tools, payments or any other relevant product categories.
Interested firms can apply by sending details of their product and a demo before 20 September 2021.
For more information about the challenge and application details, visit: Ecobank Fintech Challenge 2021
Call for applications for women-led businesses to access business development support and low-interest loans
Call for applications for women-led businesses to access business development support and low-interest loans
The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) and Inkomoko Entrepreneurship Development seek to support 75 women-led businesses in Rwanda with access to business development services and low-interest loans. Through this program, selected businesses will benefit from six months of business bootcamp workshops, business consulting services, and networking opportunities in addition to low-interest loans. The program targets women-led businesses in the retail, wholesale, agriculture, tourism and hospitality, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing sectors. To be eligible, interested businesses should:
- Be a women-led business – founded, run and owned by a woman or have a woman as majority shareholder/key decision maker
- Have an annual revenue of not less than Rwf 65 million
- Have at least more than 5 employees with the potential to create more jobs. (There will be flexibility depending on the business venture
- Have a need we can help fulfill with our services.
- Be registered with Rwanda Development Board
- Have at least one year of operation.
To register, contact:
Phone number: 0788455377
Email: info@inkomoko.com
Apply for Google for Startups Black Founders Fund Africa today!
Google for Startups invites applicants for the Black Founders Fund Africa. The program aims to support early-stage black founded startups that are benefitting the black community on the continent and specifically seeks to bridge the existing fundraising gap for black startup founders in Africa’s fast-growing technology landscape. Up to $3 million is available to support 50 successful investable startups in Africa.
How will successful applicants benefit?
Successful startups will access the following:
- Receive seed funding of $50,000 or $100,000 depending on the startup product development stage.
- Mentorship support and access to Google platform credits to accelerate business growth.
- Opportunity to connect with Google for Startups Accelerator & Partner program alumni.
Who should apply?
The Black Founders Fund Africa is intended for startups in Africa seeking seed-stage funding that meet the following criteria:
- Have an existing product or service for Africa and the global market
- Are creating jobs, have the potential to raise more funding, and are making an impact
- The founding team has at least one black C-level founding member
- Operating as a technology startup or a business where technology is a core for the ability to scale
- Proposed startup products/services are compatible with Google products
Eligible countries
The program is accepting applicants from the following countries in Africa: Botswana, Cameroun, Cote D’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
How to apply
Eligible startups can apply online here.
Deadline: 7th July 2021
For more information, visit https://campus.co/africa/black-founders-fund/.
The Westerwelle Startup Haus offers support for entrepreneurs in Rwanda.
The Westerwelle Startup Haus offers support for entrepreneurs in Rwanda.
The Westerwelle Startup Haus Kigali is an innovation hub established in August 2018 and it is supported by the Westerwelle Foundation, a German-based non-profit organization. The Foundation was established in 2013 and aims to promote entrepreneurship, social-economic growth, and job creation here in Rwanda. Westerwelle Startup Haus offers a unique mix of services to help entrepreneurs with innovative new business ideas to exchange with peers and develop their businesses. These include access to a co-working space, networking events, private offices, and a makerspace as well as advisory services and opportunities for networking internationally.
Westerwelle Startup Haus offers working space packages, which include a day pass option for individuals, flex and fixed desks for individuals renting on a monthly basis in a co-working environment, and private offices for companies offered by the month. Membership, which includes access to networking events, is available to Individuals renting fixed and flex desks and companies renting private offices. Westerwelle Startup Haus has had over 178 members and 54 startups and companies hosted at their premises. Currently, they only host 50% of the startups due to COVID-19 preventive measures put forward by the government of Rwanda.
The Westerwelle Startup Haus has been operating in Rwanda for two years, supporting startups from a variety of sectors and garnering a membership of more than 150 members. In addition to the above-mentioned services, Westerwelle Startup Haus also offers an incubation program that provides cohorts of 20 startups a 10-month membership subscription with access to the organization’s wide range of amenities along with business development services such as business diagnostics, mentorship sessions, workshops about business tools, and team building activities. Through the incubation program, Westerwelle Startup Haus has had 3 cohorts with 40 startups participating in the program.
For more information, visit Westerwelle Startup Haus or contact the organization directly via email at info@westerwelle.haus.
Westerwelle Startup Haus iha imfashanyo ba rwiyemezamirimo mu Rwanda.
Westerwelle Startup Haus Kigali ni ikigo cyo guhanga udushya cyagiyeho muri Kanama 2018; kikaba giterwa inkunga n’umuryango udaharanira inyungu w’Abadage witwa Westerwelle. Uwo muryango washinzwe muri 2013 ukaba ugamije guteza imbere urwego rwa ba rwiyemezamirimo, iterambere ry’imibereho myiza n’ubukungu, no guhanga imirimo mu Rwanda. Westerwelle Startup Haus itanga serivisi zinyuranye zifasha ba rwiyemezamirimo bahanga udushya bafite ibitekerezo bishya mu bucuruzi bwabo ikabafasha kubigeza kuri bagenzi babo no guteza imbere ubucuruzi bwabo. Ibikorwa byayo birimo kubafasha gushyiraho uburyo bwo gukorera hamwe, gukora ibikorwa bibahuza nk’abakora akazi kamwe, gushyiraho ibiro by’abikorera, aho gukorera, kimwe na serivisi z’ubujyanama n’amahirwe yo kubahuza n’abandi ba rwiyemezamirimo mu rwego mpuzamahanga.
Westerwelle Startup Haus itanga ubwoko bunyuranye bw’aho gukorera burimo uburyo bwo gutanga aho gukorera umunsi ku wundi ku bantu ku giti cyabo, ameza yo gukoreraho afungwa cyangwa atimukanwa ku bantu bakodesha buri kwezi ahantu hakorerwa n’abantu benshi n’ibiro byihariye ku masosiyete ahakorera buri kwezi. Kuba umunyamuryango bijyana n’ibikorwa byo kubasha kwitabira ibikorwa bihuza abantu benshi bakora ibintu bimwe byemererwa abantu ku giti cyabo bakodesha ameza yo gukoreraho afungwa cyangwa atimukanwa na sosiyete zikodesha ibiro byihariye. Westerwelle Startup Haus yacumbikiye abanyamuryango 178 mu bikorwa remezo byayo n’ibigo by’ubucuruzi bigitangira na sosiyete 54. Muri iki gihe, icumbikiye gusa 50% by’ibigo by’ubucuruzi bigitangira bitewe n’ingamba zo kwirinda COVID-19 zashyizweho na Leta y’u Rwanda.
Westerwelle Startup Haus imaze imyaka ibiri ikorera mu Rwanda ifasha ibigo by’ubucuruzi bigitangira mu nzego zinyuranye kandi ihuriza hamwe abanyamuryango barenze 150. Usibye kandi serivisi zimaze kuvugwa, Westerwelle Startup Haus yashyizeho kandi gahunda ifasha amatsinda y’ibigo by’ubucuruzi bigitangira 20 kwiyandikisha nk’abanyamuryango bayo mu gihe cy’amezi 10 bikanabasha kubona ibikoresho byiza by’ikigo hamwe na serivisi z’iterambere ry’ubucuruzi nko kwiga ibibazo ibigo by’ubucuruzi bifite, ibiganiro by’ubujyanama, inama nyunguranabitekerezo ku bijyanye n’ibikoresho byifashishwa mu bucuruzi, n’ibikorwa byo gushyiraho amatsinda. Binyuze muri gahunda yo gufasha ibigo by’ubucuruzi bigitangira, Westerwelle Startup Haus yafashije ibyiciro 3 by’ibigo by’ubucuruzi bigitangira byagize uruhare muri gahunda.
Niba ukeneye ibindi bisobanuro, sura urubuga rwa Westerwelle Startup Haus cyangwa wandikire ikigo mu buryo butaziguye wifashishije imeyili info@westerwelle.haus.
