Social & Inclusive Business Camp 2022

Apply for the sixth edition of the SIBC! An acceleration and capacity-building program to boost entrepreneurs with high impact and growth potential on the African continent.

The Social & Inclusive Business Camp is an acceleration and capacity-building program. It is dedicated to entrepreneurs with an impact project on the African continent and willing to scale up. 

It is a hybrid support program, including: 

  • 3 months of remote coaching on a dedicated online platform, alternating interactive virtual classes with international experts and learning resources to consult autonomously. 

  • 1 week of intensive Bootcamp in Marseille, France, in partnership with the EMERGING Valley Summit (event dedicated to emerging innovations between Europe and Africa) 

  • The possibility for each participant to be followed by a mentor, experienced alumni of the program  

  • Networking, through integration into an active and ambitious international community of 240 entrepreneurs and networking with investors and financial partners during the Bootcamp.  

Since its first edition in 2017, the SIBC has supported 240 entrepreneurs with a strong social impact in Africa in their transition to scale-up, in the measurement of their social performance, and in their preparation for fundraising. 

The program is organised around 4 key themes 

  • Leadership, governance, and team: defining better your purpose and mission, structuring your governance, and organizing your teams for successful growth  

  • Scale-up: Adapting your business model and building your scale-up strategy to multiply your impact (with a specific focus on female leadership) 

  • ESG & Impact: defining your ESG & Impact policy and measuring your social performance 

  • Investment Readiness: identifying your financing needs, understanding investor expectations, and preparing to raise funds 

Eligibility criteria: who can apply?  

To apply, the company must meet all these criteria: 

  • Be a legally registered company 

  • Prove a positive impact in Africa: social or environmental impact, activity serving vulnerable populations (women, people with disabilities, refugees…), and/or integrating vulnerable populations in its value chain as customers, distributors, suppliers, or employees 

  • Prove that you have first customers, a turnover, and a balanced economic model or a medium-term profitability objective  

  • Have a desire to grow and present a scale-up strategy that takes into account the maximization of social or environmental impact 

The candidate representing the company referred to here as the “applicant” or “the candidate”, must be the founder, co-founder, manager, or at least in a position to make strategic decisions for the company. 

The following will not be eligible: 

  • Individual applications 

  • NGOs without a business model or profitability objective 

  • Public and semi-public organizations 

  • Companies at the project stage (without first revenues, prototype, or proof of concept) 

Timeline 

  • May 9th – June 26th, 2022: submission of applications 

  • June 26th – July 08th, 2022: an examination of the applications and selection of the 40 participants chosen by the consortium and selection committee 

  • July 18th, 2022: announcement of the selected candidates. 

  • End of August 2022: start of the program and distance learning  

  • End of November 2022: Intensive one-week Bootcamp in Marseille and participation in the EMERGING Valley Summit 

Application process 

The application file must be completed on this platform and is composed of: 

  • An application form to be completed (questions on the project leader, the company, its structure, its impact, and its strategy for scaling up) 

  • Proof of the legal registration of the company (registration document, articles of association, etc.) 

  • Financial statements for the last 3 years (or if the company is younger, since its creation) 

  • Detailed CV of the project leader 

  • If you wish, a pitch deck or a presentation of your company (optional) 

Prerequisites to participate in the program: 

  • The candidate representing the company, called “the applicant” or “the candidate”, must be the founder, co-founder, manager, or at least in a position to make strategic decisions for the company;  

  • The applicant must ensure that he/she has sufficiently stable internet access to be able to follow the training and exchange sessions in good conditions;  

  • The candidate will have to be able to allocate time to the program from September to the end of November 2022, at a rate of approximately 2 hours per week over this period 

  • The active involvement of the laureates within the SIBC community, and with future laureates through mentoring, etc., is hoped for. 

The operators of the program: 

After having developed the SIBC for three years, the AFD Development Campus has decided to rely on a consortium composed of I&P Conseil, African Management Institute (AMI), ScaleChanger, and StartupBRICS for the implementation of the program. With a strong pedagogical team and an in-depth knowledge of African entrepreneurship, the consortium will carry the values of the SIBC to support entrepreneurs but also to raise awareness of the dynamics of an ecosystem that is now essential for the continent’s development.