Are you an early-stage justice entrepreneur interested in training and funding? Apply for the Justice Entrepreneurship School before 30 June 2022 

The HiiL Innovation Hub, a social enterprise dedicated to supporting justice entrepreneurs in East Africa, invites applicants for the Justice Entrepreneurship School incubation programme. The programme supports early-stage entrepreneurs preventing or resolving pressing justice needs in their communities. Entrepreneurs will be offered high-quality action learning through the program on business modelling, storytelling, pitching, and justice design thinking. 

The programme is suitable for start-up entrepreneurs who: 

• Have a solution that meets the needs of those who struggle to access adequate, easy-to-understand, affordable, and accessible means to prevent or resolve their justice problems 
• Have a basic product or service, that is, an existing prototype or minimal viable problem 

• Have no traction; that is, the product is still not in the hand of users, or it’s only in the hands of a small number of early adopter users, where we still do not see enough evidence that this product or business can work 
• Led by a team of 2 or 3 committed and passionate co-founders who shares a drive for justice and impact 

Successful applicants to the programme will benefit from the following: 

• A one-week residential boot camp delivered by industry specialists on topics such as business growth, team & leadership, design thinking  
• Coaching sessions and mentorship on topics of your choice 

• Access to HiiL’s regional network of justice leaders, legal tech organisations, and top-level researchers 
• Certification and a learning platform for self-service 
• Chance to win up to €1000 at the end of the programme during the Justice Innovation Circle demo day 

To apply for the programme, visit: Justice Entrepreneurship School Applications 

Are you a member of KCB Bank Rwanda Biashara Club or a client of Bank Populaire Rwanda? Apply for the Survive to Thrive Programme 

KCB Bank Rwanda, in partnership with ConsumerCentriX and the African Management Institute, invite their SME clients to participate in an exciting 4-month entrepreneurial journey with online courses, virtual learning labs, and practical tools.

The Survive to Thrive Programme will allow an entrepreneur and one (1) senior staff from their business the opportunity to learn how to set SMART growth goals and implement new business habits and tools to support business growth. Upon completing the programme, participants will have access to AMI’s Growth Network, an exclusive community of ambitious African entrepreneurs who have successfully graduated from AMI programmes. Participants will gain access to premium services such as AMI’s Finance Link for funding opportunities, mentoring and coaching networks, exclusive networking events, and continued access to AMI’s world-class business tools, courses, and resources.

New deadline: June 7th, 2022

Apply here: https://bit.ly/AMI-CCX-Entrepreneurship 

Are you a startup in the tourism sector with a solution to the UN SDGs? Apply for the Awake Tourism Challenge before 30 June 2022

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a United Nations agency responsible for promoting responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism, invites applicants for the Awake Tourism Challenge. Through the Challenge, UNWTO seeks to support the most innovative startups working to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Challenge seeks solutions to six challenges: local and community involvement, green and blue economies, ecological and sustainable capita creation, tourism tech for good, tourism education, and women empowerment.

Successful applicants will benefit from the following:

• Pitch at a UNWTO Demo Day
• Curated mentorship programme including one-on-one and in-group sessions focused on Intellectual Property (IP), sustainability, business, and leadership
• Connection to the UNWTO Innovation Network for meeting public and private stakeholders to explore funding and piloting opportunities
• Potential matchmaking with partners to scale up the startups, including investors, corporations, and governments

The Challenge targets startups that meet the following criteria:

• Innovative in nature, providing value-added solutions
• Sustainability-driven
• Scalable potential for international growth or to be applied by corporations and in other countries or regions
• Early-stage or series A startup
• Introduction or adoption of digital and technological elements
• Have a tested pilot and business plan
• Have been accelerated before
• Have a full-time team including at least 2 members under 35 years; gender balance will also be considered.

Applicants will be subject to further evaluation to assess their contribution to SDGs, potential business impact, maturity of the product or technology, team and organisation maturity, and partnership readiness.

To apply for this Challenge, visit: Applications

For more information on the Challenge, visit: UNWTO Awake Tourism Challenge

Are you an impact-driven company with a focus on solving unemployment? Apply for the Future to Work program before 29 April 2022

Village Capital, an impact investment company in partnership with Moody’s Foundation, invites startups across Sub-Saharan Africa to apply for the Future to Work 2022 program. Future to Work supports impact-focused startups leveraging highly sensitive data to improve quality and access to digital, financial, and healthcare services. Venture Capital aims to help entrepreneurs with investment readiness training through the program.

Successful applicants will benefit from the following during the program:

• Networking with fellow impact-driven founders in their cohort
• Mentorship from investors
• Interactive, tailored training sessions to support startup companies identify early milestones and preparing them for the next round of capital
• Coaching from an investment analyst on building a financial model, identifying unit economics, and using financial metrics
• Feature on Village Capital’s program website and other collateral

Interested applicants must have ventures addressing unemployment through the following:

• Technical, professional, upskilling, or reskilling programs
• Testing and credentialing programs
• New approaches to apprenticeship or employment matching, such as gig, job matching, and distributed manufacturing platforms
• Financial health for informal workers and/or
• Edtech for post-secondary and tertiary institutions

To apply for this program, visit: Future to Work Applications

Are you a social entrepreneur with an innovative idea/project that focuses on one or more of the 17 SDGs? Apply for the Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition before 15 September 2022

The Entrepreneurship Campus, a foundation that empowers social entrepreneurs globally to create a culture of entrepreneurship, invites applicants to their Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition. The Competition seeks participants with innovative ideas and projects with societal impact, focusing on one or more of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Competition comprises two categories – the Youth Citizen Entrepreneurship category and the Adult Citizen Category. Interested participants between 13 and 29 years can apply to the Youth Citizen category, and interested participants with 30 years and above can apply to the Adult Citizen Entrepreneurship category. All applications have to be made in English.

Interested participants will have the opportunity to take two voluntary free courses before applying to the Competition to help them develop a sustainable business model from their ideas. The two courses (Brain versus Capital and Sustainable Entrepreneurship Course) will aid participants in changing or upgrading their existing ideas or projects.

Applicants who pass the preliminary will be invited to provide more details about their idea/project in a second entry form. Ideas/projects that will pass the initial screening will be published on the competition website to be voted on, commencing on 1 June 2022.

To apply for this Competition, visit: CEC Registration

Are you looking for funding for your climate or clean energy project or to scale up your existing business? Apply for the PFAN’s climate and clean energy program before 1 May 2022

The Private Financing Advisory Network, a global network of climate and energy financing experts, invites applicants to the climate and clean energy program. PFAN provides free business coaching and investor matchmaking to promising climate and sustainable energy entrepreneurs globally.

Through the program, selected participants undergo intensive one-on-one coaching to perfect their business plans, financial structures, and investment pitches. Additionally, successful participants may be invited to present their projects at the PFAN and partner events or receive tailored investment facilitation services.

Interested applicants must fulfil the following criteria to apply:

• Be from low and middle-income countries, click here for a complete list
• Provide climate change adaptation benefits
• Offer or use sustainable energy technologies, products or services that fall within PFAN’s areas of work

To apply, visit: Climate and Clean Energy project Applications

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