Are you a social entrepreneur with a solution aligned with the UN’s SDGs? Apply for the UNLEASH Plus incubation program before 10 April 2022

UNLEASH, a non-profit organisation founded in 2016 with the aim of developing solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and building capacity for youth globally, invites applicants for the UNLEASH Plus incubation program. UNLEASH Plus is a 6-month incubation program for entrepreneurs working on social and environmental challenges in line with the UN’s SDGs. Through the program, participants will receive skills development training, tools, and mindsets to test their early-stage solutions and design for large scale impact.

Through a partnership with Chemonics International, UNLEASH Plus supports teams with existing prototypes to become impactful social ventures. Additionally, participants will have access to learning materials, the opportunity to join interactive workshops, receive direct support from experts, and make connections to investors and partners during the program to accelerate intended impact.

The program will be implemented in 3 phases, including:

The Basecamp: Basecamp is a practical two-day event where participants meet and witness pitches from other teams in their cohort. Participants also engage with their mentors and align on the vision, business model and priorities for their 6-month plan during the program.

The Ascension: The second phase is the core 21-week virtual program that focuses on team development, solution testing and refinement, strategy, and pitching. During this phase, the goal is to launch the first complete solution that will attract the right customers, partners, and funders to accelerate the participant’s journey. Teams will also have direct access to Potentialife, a leadership and team effectiveness program that also serves as a core part of the program.

The Bootcamp: in-person program in India for top 25 teams.

The last phase is the in-person finale of UNLEASH Plus during the Global Innovation Lab Karnataka (India). During this phase, teams will receive intensive support from world-class experts to refine strategies, meet with potential partners and pitch their solutions to investors awarding cash prizes at the Dragon’s Den.

Interested applicants should fulfil the following to apply

• Have at least 2 active team members participating throughout the program
• Be willing to commit at least 4 hours per team per week throughout the program
• Have at least half of the team members aged 35 years or younger
• Have a validated, working prototype of a solution that addresses one or more of the SDGs
• Have documented feedback, references, or testimonials from early testing with actual users or prospective customers that demonstrate market demand for the solution
• Have a solution responsive to one or more of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
• Be a legal entity with the ability to receive funds
• Have raised a maximum of 50,000 USD raised to date

To apply for the program, visit: Submit application

Are you a business in the Agritech or Foodtech industry interested in scaling your business? Apply for the Katapult Africa Accelerator Program 

Katapult, an investment company focused on highly scalable impact tech startups, has opened applications for the Katapult Africa Accelerator Program for startups in Agritech and Foodtech. Selected participants will benefit from training from experts, local and international mentorship, and access to a global network. Additionally, a select group of participants in the Accelerator program will receive seed capital.  

All startup businesses in the Agritech and Foodtech industry are encouraged to apply. 

To apply for Katapult Africa Accelerator Program, visit: Application Form  

Are you a social entrepreneur with an innovative solution focused on empowering women and girls? Apply for the Innovations to Empower Women and Girls Challenge before 30 March 2022! 

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in partnership with World Intellectual Property Organizational (WIPO), and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) are launching the Innovations to Empower Women and Girls Challenge (the Challenge). The Challenge was launched to develop further and position innovative solutions to scale to help combat inequalities and advance the empowerment of women and girls in all their diversity. 

Through the Challenge, UNFPA aims to support social enterprises registered in UNFPA programme countries to pivot from grant-making models to self-sustaining financial models. Participants in the Challenge will receive mentorship, technical assistance in key focus areas including intellectual property management and business modelling, and grants of up to USD 60,000.  

Interested applicants must fulfil the following to apply: 

• Company must be registered as a company/organization in a UNFPA programme country 

• Company, including any joint venture/consortium members and any of its individual members, must not be under procurement prohibitions derived from the Compendium of United Nations Security Council Sanctions Lists at the time of application 
• Company, including any joint venture/consortium members and any of its individual members, has not been suspended, debarred, sanctioned, or otherwise identified as ineligible by any UN Organization or the World Bank Group 
• Innovation must be implemented in the UNFPA programme country in which the company is registered  
• The proposed innovation should promote the empowerment of women and girls and contribute to one of the following challenges: 
• Ending unmet need for family planning 

• Ending preventable maternal deaths 
• Ending gender-based violence and harmful practices 

(See descriptions here) 

• Company must have already tested a prototype, undergone proof of concept, and have a minimum viable product (MVP) that has been piloted and is ready to be positioned to scale; the MVP must belong to the submitting organization 
• Innovative solution must have a viable pathway to scale and sustainability via the market or public sector (definition as per UN Innovation Toolkit: driving adoption beyond the initial pilot’s target population) 

• No similar solution to the one being proposed, or the proposed solution delivers more development impact per dollar or is more cost-effective than other ways of achieving the same objectives; there must be evidence to support this claim 

Interested applicants must register on the UNFPA platform to submit an expression of interest to be shortlisted for proposals.  

To register on the UNFPA Innovation Challenge platform, visit: Registration 

To submit an expression of interest for this Challenge, visit: Applications  

For more information on the Challenge, visit: Innovations to Empower Women and Girls Challenge 

Are you a woman entrepreneur interested in scaling your business? Apply for the WIA 54 programme before 31 May 2022

Women in Africa (WIA), a social impact company supporting African women entrepreneurs, invites applicants for the WIA 54 programme( WIA54). WIA will support 540 finalists from 54 African countries with training and personalized mentoring via a boot camp. The programme will be carried out in three phases including:

• Training phase: Selected entrepreneurs will participate in a virtual orientation programme to learn more about the process and receive a timeline and overview of available resources. Additionally, participants for this phase will receive intensive business management training.
• Mentoring phase: This phase will last six months for select participants. Selected entrepreneurs will be offered mentors to support them in integrating learnings from the training into their business plan. After the mentoring phase, select candidates will participate in a pitching phase, which will give them access to investors and seed capital.
• Pitching phase: Select participants will have the opportunity to demonstrate their business knowledge to convince the jury on the viability of their business to access funds.

Interested applicants should fulfil the following eligibility criteria to apply:

• Business should be created or led by an African woman
• Have a first traction on the market (sales, number of users, funds raised)
• Be part of one of the following sectors: agriculture & agritech, food & foodtech, education & edutech, fintech, environment & sustainable development, beauty or creative industry, or health & healthtech

The selection of projects will be based on the following criteria:

• Innovativeness of the product, service, or technology
• Proven business model scalability
• Growth potential
• Demonstration of an ambitious team with solid execution ability
• Market traction (revenue, number of users, funds raised)
• Potential for impact in Africa

To apply for the WIA54 programme, visit: WIA54 Application