Africa
Program
Entrepreneurship
Details
This Social and Inclusive Business Camp (SIBC) program is built from you, your teams, your business, your ecosystem. You will have access to the AFD network and all its partners. Many mentors will be mobilised for your support. You will be an integral part of a new SIBC promotion which will bring you support, experience, and key networking opportunities.
The SIBC is a 4-month coaching program to support you in your growth. The educational program, valued at 10,000 euros, allows you to tackle the different elements of a scale-up in order to succeed in yours.
On a larger scale, you will in turn become an Alumni and be part of the SIBC Alumni network, an active and enriching network in terms of contacts and experience sharing. At the end of the boot camp, you will have the opportunity to pitch to investors and partners instrumental to your growth (political, institutional, corporates, media, etc.).
The SIBC is a hybrid scale-up support program including:
- 4 months of distance coaching on a dedicated online platform alternating educational modules and interactive virtual classes with international mentors
- 1 tailor-made mentoring program for each entrepreneur
- 1 week of intensive boot camp in Marseille in partnership with the EMERGING Valley Summit
- Integration within an active and ambitious international community
The aim of the competition is to:
- Identify African champions with a societal impact on the continent through innovative businesses
- Identify inspiring role models operating in Africa to inspire entrepreneurs from the continent and beyond
- Build a community of actors of change through methods of collective intelligence, creativity and peer-to-peer exchange
- Support selected entrepreneurs in their transition to scale, their preparation for fundraising, and the measurement of their social performance.
Timeline
- May 4 - July 15, 2020: submission of applications
- July 31, 2020: processing of applications and selection of the 60 participants by our selection committee
- September 2020: beginning of the e-learning training on our digital platform, beginning of the mentoring program and integration into the SIBC learning community
- Early December 2020: one-week intensive boot camp in Marseille and participation in the EMERGING Valley Summit
Criteria
This programme is intended for all entrepreneurs responding to the following criteria:
- With a legally registered social enterprise, proving a minimum of 3 years of exercise and a turnover
- With a minimum of three years of practice
- With proof of a turnover
- With proof of a balanced economic model or a medium-term profitability objective
- Justifying a positive societal impact in Africa.
- To be eligible, companies do not have to be registered in an African country. However, they must demonstrate a positive societal impact on the African continent.
- All countries on the continent are accepted. As the program is bilingual, they welcome entrepreneurs operating across the continent.
- Applicants operating in the Least Developed Countries under the UN category are strongly encouraged to participate.
- Presenting a scale-up strategy integrating a reflection on governance and leadership
The following will not be eligible:
- Individual applications
- Associations not presenting an economic model or a profitability objective
- Public and parapublic organizations
Applications will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:
- Maturity of the structure and management capacity
- Innovative nature of the proposed solution
- Potential of the business model and strategy for scaling up
- Social impact and contribution to Sustainable Development Objectives
- Profile of the project leader
Benefits
- The teaching fees are free
- Meal expenses are paid by the AFD during the programme
- Grants will be awarded to select participants who apply, in order to cover the costs of getting to and staying at the boot camp in Marseille (plane and hotel).
- These scholarships will be offered as a reimbursement of expenses on the basis of invoices (there will be no advance on expenses). They will be of a maximum amount set according to the participant’s country of origin.
About Digital Africa
Digital Africa’s mission is to promote African innovation and entrepreneurship. It is a collaborative initiative built through a new Africa-France relationship.
It aims to structure a stronger ecosystem able to unleash, develop and support innovative and impact-oriented entrepreneurial projects across the continent and provide everything entrepreneurs need to hold their project: network, knowledge, resources, opportunities and exposure.