Shine Program for Founders of Early-Stage Enterprises in United States

The Shine program nurtures social entrepreneurs who offer innovative, market-based solutions to problems related to climate and health.

The winning applicant undergoes an immersive learning program, that brings them together with a diverse, skilled team of top talents from Swiss Re to develop a strategic, financially viable business plan. After the entrepreneur completes the program’s three modules over four months, the Swiss Re Foundation continues to support their progress in scaling up their solution and assessing their impact.

Shine is a remarkable opportunity for founders of social enterprises not only to realise their vision of a more resilient world, but also to grow professionally and personally.

Focus Areas

• Applicants’ impact areas must be aligned with one of the Swiss Re Foundation’s supported topics:
  • Nature based solutions in coastal & urban areas
  • Disaster risk reduction
  • Transformation to Net-Zero (circular economy solutions)
  • Access to Health
  • Healthy Nutrition

Program Structure

• Phase 1: Application process for selecting the social innovator
  • The submitted applications will be evaluated, and shortlisted entrepreneurs will be interviewed to select a winner who will enter the Action Learning Program along with a cohort of Swiss Re employees.
  • The winner will also receive the Shine Social Innovator Award including a grant of USD 5,000.
• Phase 2: Action Learning Program
  • The social innovator will team up with Swiss Re employees and go through an accredited Action Learning Program facilitated in collaboration with their partner BOOKBRIDGE. During this immersive four-month journey, the innovator along with Swiss Re employees will together define problem areas for the business, engage with target communities, design and test solution prototypes and develop a viable business plan. They will then pitch this plan to the Shineʼs Investment Committee of experts with the aim to earn an additional grant of USD 35,000.
  • The cohort will be guided throughout this process by professional business and leadership coaches in an open workshop setting.

Program Benefits

• Hands-on support in developing a focused strategy and viable financial and execution plan
• Access to diverse experts from Swiss Re businesses and functions
• Business mentoring and leadership coaching to accelerate the professional and personal development of the enterprise founder(s)
• Financial grant of up to USD 40,000 to scale the solution
• Connections and visibility in the social entrepreneurial ecosystem

Eligibility Criteria

• Innovation
  • Applicants must display nuanced understanding of a social challenge in one of the focus areas and an innovative, scalable solution to addressing it.
• Maturity
  • Applicants must be early-stage enterprises that have an established proof of concept for their solution and are looking to accelerate their growth.
• Mission and purpose
  • Applicants must have a strong sense of purpose combined with an impact-focused mindset. They need to also have the willingness to take part in learning program that spans four months.

For more information, visit Swiss Re Foundation.