Open Call: Bridges for Enterprise Incubation Programme

The BfE Incubation Programme supports early stage enterprises through a series of structured engagements.

Each engagement is conducted completely pro bono by the student teams and professional mentors with deep industry expertise.

Communication throughout the entire Incubation Programme takes place remotely online so you can focus on running your business at the same time.

Programme Overview

Startups begin with a consulting engagement to tackle a specific business problem, then proceed to a finance advisory engagement to prepare for fundraising. Startups may also request for extra support on technical or legal issues.

• Consulting
  • BfE Consulting is the first component of the Incubation Programme. All accepted startups will undergo this engagement for 3-4 months after being paired with one of the chapter teams.
  • From growth strategy to impact assessment, the talented associates tackle your most pressing challenges. Each engagement begins with a thoroughly researched micro and macro-level analysis before diving into tailored strategies for your particular needs. Engagements conclude by presenting actionable deliverables ready for implementation and a roadmap for achieving sustainable impact.
• Finance Advisory
  • BfE Finance Advisory is the second and final component of the Incubation Programme. All accepted startups will undergo this engagement for 3-4 months.
  • From revenue forecasting to grant writing, the talented associates strive to make your business ready to attract funding. Each engagement begins with country and region-specific funding channel research before diving into tailored strategies for your financing needs. Engagements conclude by presenting actionable tips, tools and techniques ready for adoption and a roadmap for achieving financial sustainability.
• Legal Advisory
  • BfE Legal Advisory is an optional component of the Incubation Programme. Any accepted startup can request to undergo a Legal Advisory engagement either upon acceptance into the Programme or before the Finance Advisory engagement begins. Legal Advisory engagements last for 3-4 months.
  • BfE Legal Advisory offers legal research services to assist startups with navigating the increasingly complex and highly regulated business environments that they operate in. The legal research services are tailored to the specific corporate, tax, intellectual property or property issues that the startup might face. Legal Advisory can be offered to both new startups and existing startup alumni seeking further technical assistance, and can run in parallel with Finance and Consulting.
• Technical Advisory
  • BfE Technical Advisory is an optional component of the Incubation Programme. Any accepted startup can request to undergo a Technical Advisory engagement either upon acceptance into the Programme or before the Finance Advisory engagement begins. Technical Advisory engagements can last for either 3-4 months or 6-8 months depending on the project scope and team capacity.
  • BfE Technical Advisory offers in-house support and advisory to empower startups’ technical capabilities. Tailoring to the specific requirements of the startup, the scope of advisory offering ranges from research reports on broad technical strategy questions, to design improvements on existing product prototypes or operation pipelines. Technical Advisory can be offered to both new startups and existing startup alumni seeking for further technical assistance, and can run in parallel with Finance Advisory and Consulting.

The BfE Incubation Programme would be a good fit for you if

• You are a for-profit or non-profit social enterprise
• You are an early stage startup at the pre-seed or seed stage
• You have an existing product or service and have started earning revenue
• Your business is legally established in Africa, Asia, Latin America or the Middle East
• You demonstrate a clear path to financial returns and social impact

Criteria

They accept social enterprises that can demonstrate:

• Innovative Solutions. You have developed a unique minimum viable product (MVP) that addresses a key development challenge.
• Proven Results. You have a revenue generating business model with at least 6 months in operation.
• Positive Impact. Your business generates positive environmental or social impact in the communities you serve.
• Committed Management. Your company’s leadership team has a demonstrated track record of commitment.

For more information, visit Bridges for Enterprise.