Deadline: 1 September 2023
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is seeking applications from high-potential start-ups in the Western Balkans for the Star Venture Programme.
EBRD offers technical expertise, mentorship, local advice and strategic business development expertise to help start-ups unlock new opportunities for growth. Currently, the programme operates in 22 countries across the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean (SEMED), the Western Balkans region, Eastern and Central Europe, and Central Asia, supporting over 600 early-stage companies, with the plan to expand to other EBRD regions over the coming years.
The aim of the Star Venture Programme is to identify high-potential start-ups and to mobilise globally sourced expertise to help these nascent firms scale up rapidly.
The Star Venture Programme was launched in the Western Balkans in 2019. Since then, the programme has established a collaboration with selected regional accelerators and deployed local advisory support to enhance the start-up ecosystem.
What EBRD offers
The programme will be delivered on a competitive basis and selected enterprises will join a cohort of dynamic venture teams in an intensive and tailored 18-month experience-based Scaling Programme. The programme engagement includes – but is not limited to – strategic innovation business diagnostic workshops, advisory projects, mentorship, business matching with different types of stakeholders regional and international expansion,fundraising support, and investor pitching events. The areas of support and intervention will depend on the competencies and needs of the individual enterprises and could include:
- Support Areas
- Strategy and Planning
- Engineering and Technical Solutions
- Fundraising and Financial Management
- Accounting and Financial Reporting
- ICT and Digitalisation
- Internationalisation and Scaling
- Lean and Agile Processes
- Legal, Governance and Compliance
- Marketing, Communications and Sales
- Operations and Quality Management
- Organisation, Leadership and HR
- Pitching, Equity and Investor Relations
- Support Input Examples
- Access to all commercial consulting & technical skills as required
- Introductions to investors, funders and credit sources
- Negotiating, Valuations, Term Sheets & Investment
- Cash-flow Management & Operational Planning
- Identification, evaluation, introduction & negotiation with potential customers, suppliers and channel partners
- Entering international markets and establishing international business entities
- Developing & Implementing Marketing & Sales Plans.
Eligibility Criteria
EBRD is looking to support and engage with high-potential, innovative, growth-oriented startups that demonstrate the potential to scale rapidly and to attract finance. They will be supported by a suite of advisory instruments. The programme looks for registered private enterprises that fulfil the following criteria:
- A proven innovative technology-based solution or innovative business model;
- A large market opportunity;
- A strong competitive advantage;
- Managed to substantially increase revenues within 3 years of business operations.
For more information, visit EBRD.
