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!
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
- 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
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
Are you an African startup interested in taking your company to the next level? Apply for the SBC Virtual Accelerator Program
Are you an African startup interested in taking your company to the next level? Apply for the SBC Virtual Accelerator Program
Startupbootcamp Afritech (SBC) invites African startups for a virtual acceleration program powered by Enrich in Africa, a project funded by the European Commission. The aim of the program is to encourage and facilitate the mobility of startup entrepreneurs from African or European countries. The program promotes skills development and transfer and the globalization of innovative solutions. Ten successful applicants will benefit from virtual acceleration sessions with lifetime access to the Accelerator Squared Platform to learn from dozens of modules.
Interested applicants must fulfil the following to apply for the program:
- Company must be at least 2 years old
- Turnover of at least $15,000 in 2021
- At least 2 employees and/or co-founders
- Headquarters based in an African/European country
To apply for the program, visit SBC Virtual Accelerator Application
Apply for the Survive to Thrive Programme
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.
Apply here: https://bit.ly/AMI-CCX-Entrepreneurship
Are you an aspiring entrepreneur? Apply for the year-long MEST Africa entrepreneurial training program to build your skills!
Are you an aspiring entrepreneur? Apply for the year-long MEST Africa entrepreneurial training program to build your skills!
The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology offers 12-month graduate level training to aspiring entrepreneurs from Africa. MEST is an African-wide tech entrepreneur training program, seed fund and network of hubs offering incubation for tech startups in Africa. The MEST program is a fully sponsored opportunity.
Through MEST, successful applicants will receive tech and entrepreneurship skills training and gain experiences to build globally successful tech companies. Additionally, participants of the program will stand a chance to access funding, business incubation and access to a global network of tech entrepreneurs.
Interested applicants must fulfil the following to be eligible to enrol:
- Have a degree from a university or technical college or equivalent experience with at least 2 years of corporate and startup experience
- Have excellent skills in either communications, business or software development, enthusiasm for tech entrepreneurship and knowledge of how to use tech to achieve business results
- Demonstrate a willingness to commit to a complete residential program for a whole year
- Be a disciplined self-starter that can work and deliver assignments and projects
- Have the ability to work well in teams with proven academic or professional excellence
- Demonstrate leadership abilities
Interested applicants should apply before 20th April 2022.
To apply, visit MEST Application
Are you an early-stage entrepreneur looking to scale up your business? Apply for the ALX Young Entrepreneurs Programme before 28 February 2022
Are you an early-stage entrepreneur looking to scale up your business? Apply for the ALX Young Entrepreneurs Programme before 28 February 2022
ALX, a career accelerator for young professionals under the African Leadership Group, seeks to support African entrepreneurs to build thriving businesses through the ALX Young Entrepreneurs Programme (YEP). YEP is a four-week programme sponsored by Mastercard Foundation and partners. Successful applicants will benefit from mentorship and skills transfer from expert entrepreneurs. The programme is designed for early-stage entrepreneurs who have demonstrated commitment to building their enterprises but require tools and accountability to scale up and increase their customer base.
Participants will go through key five programme modules, including:
- Launch: Set the goals and learn best practices to launch a successful plan.
- Traction: Experiment with different strategies to attract prospective customers.
- Sales Skills: Get the frameworks and practice to close customers and generate revenue.
- Show & Sell: Wrap up your programme in a demo day-styled event where you can present your progress.
Interested applicants must fulfil the following programme requirements to apply
- Be a founder or co-founder of a business in Africa
- Be ready to commit to 4 weeks, 10 hours/week
- Be between 18-35 years of age
- Have a product or service ready to go to market within a month
- Have proficiency in English.
Upon completing the programme, participants will be invited to join The ROOM community, where they will access a global network of resources and support to grow their business.
To apply, visit: YEP Application
Apply for the Business Professionals Network Entrepreneurship Development Program before 28 February 2022
Apply for the Business Professionals Network Entrepreneurship Development Program before 28 February 2022
Business Professionals Network (BPN), a Swiss non-profit organization with operations in Rwanda, seeks applicants for the Entrepreneurship Development Program. The annual program seeks 30 entrepreneurs looking to scale their businesses. Successful applicants will be offered skills in business administration, leadership, time and financial management, and marketing. Additionally, participants will have access to executive coaching, advanced hands-on training, access to finance and an opportunity to network and work with fellow entrepreneurs through the Business Owners Association.
Entrepreneurs interested in joining the BPN’s entrepreneurship development program must fulfil the following criteria:
- Have a legally registered business operating for a minimum of 2 years (RDB certificate to be attached to the application)
- Have a minimum of 4 permanent staff (including the business owner)
- Have a Rwandan nationality
- Be between the ages of 18 and 50 years old
- Seek to create sustainable and impactful business
- Have a business that provides added value to its products/services
- Be motivated to expand the business
- Have the ability to pay a subsidized program contribution fee
To apply for this program, visit BPN Entrepreneurship Development Program
Are you a startup with a tech solution? Apply for the Oracle for Startups program
Are you a startup with a tech solution? Apply for the Oracle for Startups program
Oracle, a multinational cloud computing company, seeks to support African tech startups to drive business growth across different industries through the Oracle for Startups program. African tech startups will benefit from USD 10,000 of cloud credits to improve the essential tasks of their early operations, such as running a simulation and creating a rendering. Additionally, selected participants will receive hands-on technical support, executive mentoring, access to go-to-market resources, and new customer engagements.
Interested applicants must fulfil the following to qualify for the program:
- Have a registered startup business in Africa
- Have been founded within the last ten years and have a functioning website or public profile and LinkedIn profile
- Be associated with one or more of the following: accelerators, seed/ventures capital firms, and startup enabling organizations/initiatives
- The following are not eligible for the Oracle for Startups program:
- Previous graduates of Oracle for Startups program
- Public companies
- Oracle customers (including their subsidiaries)
- Oracle partner network members
The Oracle for Startups is a two-year program after the enrollment date. To apply for this program, visit:
Are you an early-stage fintech startup in Rwanda? Apply for Stitch fintech startup showcase before 10 February 2022
Are you an early-stage fintech startup in Rwanda? Apply for Stitch fintech startup showcase before 10 February 2022
Stitch, a South African API infrastructure live in Nigeria and South Africa, in partnership with Paystack and Disrupt Africa, are set to host a startup showcase for African early-stage FinTechs. The showcase will provide an opportunity for early-stage FinTechs to share their solutions with local and global investors and support to prepare for the pitch from the Stitch team.
The showcase will take place in Cape Town, South Africa on 25 February 2022. Interested applicants must have a FinTechor embedded finance solution based in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Ghana, Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania or Rwanda. Selected companies will receive several benefits, including:
- Support to prepare for the pitch from members of the Stitch team
- An opportunity to pitch their solutions to an audience of global and local fintech and investors
- Access to office hours with members of the Stitch team
- Access to a 1-hour workshop with members of the Paystack team focused on fundraising and growth
- Free payment processing from Paystack for selected startups operating in Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana
- Access to the Stitch API for selected companies operating in Nigeria and South Africa for six months
Note: All applicants working in Nigeria and South Africa will receive two months of free access to the Stitch API
To apply for this showcase, visit: Stitch Startup Showcase Applications
Are you a university student or a recent graduate with an innovative digital idea? Apply for the Digital Innovations for Business Resilience in the EAC program before 21 February 2022
Are you a university student or a recent graduate with an innovative digital idea? Apply for the Digital Innovations for Business Resilience in the EAC program before 21 February 2022
Digital Innovations for Business Resilience in the East African Community, a program under Digital Skills for an Innovative East African Industry (dSkills@EA) project, seeks to support young innovators from universities from the EAC member states. Through the program, young innovators will be supported to develop and implement digital innovations for business resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The dSkills@EA project is part of the technical development cooperation between the EAC and Germany.
Ten selected teams per country will be offered an opportunity to participate at the National Pitch-Event, where they will present their digital innovations to the industry, academia, investors, government representatives and the EAC entrepreneurship ecosystem stakeholders. Additionally, selected participants will benefit from the following:
- Opportunity to finetune their innovative idea via online ideathon to acquire skills in customer insights, product development and business modelling
- Access to connections from the East African Innovation Ecosystem
- An opportunity to be selected for the boot camp to receive in-depth support through mentors and trainers to shape their innovations further.
- Team winners will receive grants of a pool of USD 10,000
Interested applicants must fulfil the following to apply:
- Be university students or recent graduates (not more than one year in the past)
- Be from an East African University
- Be between 18 and 35 years of age
- Have fluency in English
- Possess an idea for digital innovation or are in early implementation stages.
- Have a team of a minimum of two people.
To apply for this program, visit: Digital Innovations for Business Resilience in the EAC