VilCap Empowering Sustainable Entrepreneurship in Africa 2025 – YOA

Deadline: April 30, 2025

Applications are open for the VilCap Empowering Sustainable Entrepreneurship in Africa 2025. Empowering Sustainable Entrepreneurship in Africa 2025 is Phase Two of an initiative to strengthen local weather innovation throughout Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania.

In 2024, Village Capital, in partnership with Norway, by means of Norad – the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, supported 14 Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs)/Ecosystem Builders by means of coaching and capability constructing (examine Phase One right here). This yr, they proceed their mission to assist affect-creating founders and strengthen regional ecosystems by collaborating with 5 of those regionally-led Ecosystem Builders.

Together, they may co-ship 5 tailor-made funding-readiness applications, supporting 150 sustainability-centered startups throughout the above-talked about markets in SSA.

Focus Areas

They are in search of startups in the next areas:

• Blue Economy: Fisheries and aquaculture, marine biotechnology, marine conservation, eco-tourism, and marine litter administration.
• Climate Adaptation: Early warning programs, danger mapping and evaluation applied sciences, meteorological knowledge applied sciences, carbon seize and storage, inexperienced infrastructure, and water administration applied sciences.
• Food Security: Precision agriculture, enhanced irrigation applied sciences, provide chain administration, transportation and logistics, and chilly-chain applied sciences.
• Renewable Energy: Microgrid applied sciences, clear cooking options, hydro, photo voltaic, geothermal, and wind, vitality administration software program, and vitality fee platforms.

Benefits

• Advice: Participate in a digital investor discussion board and mock board conferences with representatives from monetary establishments, firms, skilled entrepreneurs, and traders who can assist startups scale their options.
• Continued Learning: Access to stay and asynchronous classes tailor-made to a digital studying atmosphere to assist their firms establish early milestones and put together for his or her subsequent spherical of capital (if related) or vital enlargement.
• Financial Analysis: Access to an funding analyst who will coach startups 1:1 on constructing a monetary mannequin, figuring out unit economics, and utilizing monetary metrics to drive each enterprise and investor diligence.
• Media Exposure: Exposure to Village Capital’s program web site and different communications collateral.
• Mentorship: Ability to satisfy with and obtain mentorship from distinguished traders, potential strategic companions, clients, and different funders.
• Networking: Access to a community of mentors and funders.

Eligibility

Eligibility necessities embrace:

• Have authorized incorporation and function as a for-revenue entity in at the least one of many following international locations or have intentions to develop into them: Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, or Tanzania.
• Have a market-primarily based tech answer that tackles one of many following challenges: Climate Adaptation, Renewable Energy, Blue Economy, or Food Security. 
• Be in compliance with native fiscal and enterprise legislation.
• Have at the least two full-time founders primarily based in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, or Tanzania.
• Have at the least a minimal viable product (MVP) and raised lower than USD 1M in fairness.
• Have significant buyer or enterprise validation (not restricted to income, it may also be profitable pilot research, variety of customers, and/or strategic partnerships).

Application

Startups ought to apply primarily based on their nation of operation:

For extra data, go to VilCap Empowering Sustainable Entrepreneurship in Africa.