How we do it
We run a bespoke, problem-centric accelerator. We select a small group of highly ambitious entrepreneurs who are running impact-driven ventures from across Rwanda, Congo and Burundi every year, and spend time and money to help them grow. We devise a tailored acceleration plan fit for each venture.
Over a 6-month period, each venture goes through a transformational journey of problem-based learning, seed funding, and access to a growing network of mentors and investors. Each venture receives support from a team of experienced and skilled experts, hand-picked to help solve problems at hand, not to lecture.
We then bring our entrepreneurs together to form a community of continuing peer learning and regional collaboration.
What We Offer
Access to Capital
We invest in each venture, focussing on an essential but unfulfilled financing gap that exists for early-stage impact businesses: long-term capital of small deal sizes (up to $50K). As an impact-first nonprofit venture, we are committed to structuring our investment to fit each venture’s needs. All returns are reinvested back into our work so we can reach more impact ventures.
6-Month Intensive Accelerator Program
We identify each venture’s most pressing challenges and mobilize the right people to help solve them. We allocate a team of skilled experts to help our entrepreneurs solve their most critical problems through one-one-one interactions. Our Accelerator prides itself for being problem-centric, focussing on solving real-world problems rather than giving classroom-style lectures or one-size-fits-all training programs.
Business Advisory Support
Beyond the 6-month intensive Accelerator Program, we continue to provide our ventures with hands-on strategic support and tailored business advisory services for the duration of our investment. Entrepreneurs enjoy a lifetime access to our network.
Jenga Academy
Jenga Academy bridges skills gaps for our entrepreneurs. We offer our entrepreneurs and/or their teams a curated set of world’s class practical training programs to improve skills and management practices. Entirely paid for by us.
Community
We’re building a community of entrepreneurs and doers in the region, who are not afraid of tackling big challenges and are excited about crossborder, peer collaboration for a collective better future. We bring along connections to investors, industry leaders and experts.
A Global Network of Support
We provide our entrepreneurs with access to experts and industry practitioners locally and from around the world to mentor and support them, and help them solve real-world challenges.
What we Look For
We select ventures based on our 5 main criteria, which includes screening for social impact, business model, market size, management team and whether our involvement will add value.
- Social Impact – Ventures with built-in social impact in their DNA, providing solutions that improve lives. We define an impact venture as any business whose mission either increases economic opportunities for the poor, or provides them with essential products/services.”
- Good Management – A team with skills, passion and determination to execute a business strategy and meet or exceed expansion goals during and after our partnership.
- Strong Business Model – A market opportunity that serves low-income communities, a good product/service and early revenue to prove it.
- Early-Stage – Ventures in their early stages but with products or services in the market, and early revenue-generating customers.
- Potential to Scale – A venture that is scalable across the country and/or region and has the potential to reach 30K end users within a 5 years period.
- Additionality – An investment that would not otherwise take place from the existing financial system. Our goal is not to replace what exists, but add onto it. The principle of additionality guides us in each engagement.
