Zim Startups! Check out the Social & Inclusive Business Camp

The Social & Inclusive Business Camp is an acceleration and capacity building programme. It is dedicated to entrepreneurs with an impact project on the African continent and willing to scale up.

3 months of remote coaching on a dedicated online platform, alternating interactive virtual classes with international experts and learning resources to consult autonomously.
1 week of intensive Bootcamp in Marseille, France, in partnership with the EMERGING Valley Summit (event dedicated to emerging innovations between Europe and Africa)
The possibility for each participant to be followed by a mentor, experienced alumni of the programme
Networking, through integration into an active and ambitious international community of 240 entrepreneurs and networking with investors and financial partners during the Bootcamp.

Since its first edition in 2017, the SIBC has supported 240 entrepreneurs with a strong social impact in Africa in their transition to scale-up, in the measurement of their social performance and in their preparation for fundraising.

The programme is organised around 4 key themes

Leadership, governance and team: defining better your purpose and mission, structuring your governance, and organizing your teams for successful growth
Scale-up: Adapting your business model and building your scale-up strategy to multiply your impact (with a specific focus on female leadership)
ESG & Impact: defining your ESG & Impact policy and measuring your social performance
Investment Readiness: identifying your financing needs, understanding investor expectations, and preparing to raise funds

Eligibility criteria: who can apply?

To apply, the company must meet all these criteria:

Be a legally registered company
Prove a positive impact in Africa: social or environmental impact, activity serving vulnerable populations (women, people with disabilities, refugees…) and/or integrating vulnerable populations in its value chain as customers, distributors, suppliers or employees
Prove that you have first customers, a turnover and a balanced economic model or a medium-term profitability objective
Have a desire to grow and present a scale-up strategy that takes into account the maximisation of social or environmental impact

The candidate representing the company referred to here as the “applicant” or “the candidate”, must be the founder, co-founder, manager or at least in a position to make strategic decisions for the company.

The following will not be eligible:

Individual applications
NGOs without a business model or profitability objective

Public and semi-public organisations
Companies at the project stage (without first revenues, prototype or proof of concept)

Timeline

May 9th – June 26th 2022: submission of applications

June 26th – July 08th 2022: an examination of the applications and selection of the 40 participants chosen by the consortium and selection committee
July 18th 2022: announcement of the selected candidates.
End of August 2022: start of the programme and distance learning
End of November 2022: Intensive one-week bootcamp in Marseille and participation in the EMERGING Valley Summit

Application process

The application file must be completed on this platform and is composed of:

An application form to be completed (questions on the project leader, the company, its structure, its impact and its strategy for scaling up)

Proof of the legal registration of the company (registration document, articles of association, etc.)
Financial statements for the last 3 years (or if the company is younger, since its creation)
Detailed CV of the project leader
If you wish, a pitch deck or a presentation of your company (optional)

Prerequisites to participate in the programme:

The candidate representing the company, called “the applicant” or “the candidate”, must be the founder, co-founder, manager or at least in a position to make strategic decisions for the company;
The applicant must ensure that he/she has sufficiently stable internet access to be able to follow the training and exchange sessions in good conditions;

The candidate will have to be able to allocate time to the programme from September to the end of November 2022, at a rate of approximately 2 hours per week over this period
The active involvement of the laureates within the SIBC community, and with future laureates through mentoring, etc., is hoped for.

The operators of the programme:

After having developed the SIBC for three years, the AFD Development Campus has decided to rely on a consortium composed of I&P Conseil, African Management Institute (AMI), ScaleChanger and StartupBRICS for the implementation of the program. With a strong pedagogical team and an in-depth knowledge of African entrepreneurship, the consortium will carry the values of the SIBC to support entrepreneurs and also to raise awareness of the dynamics of an ecosystem that is now essential for the continent’s development.

Applications close on the 26th of June 2022 and you can find the form with the link here