Bridge for Billions Women Innovators in WASH Incubation Programme 2022 (Win a share of $15K seed capital)

An incubator programme called “Women Innovators in WASH” aims to encourage female entrepreneurs in Africa and Latin America who have an original business idea in the fields of water, sanitation, and hygiene.

The overall objective of the Women Innovators in WASH Incubation Programme is to sustainably increase communities’ access to safe and reasonably priced Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) goods and services in Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Tanzania, South Africa, as well as Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia.

Programme Details

They will support 50 women-led startups in the target countries with high-growth potential businesses in any of the WASH sectors and position them to scale their impact and reach more underserved communities by the end of the programme.

As a selected entrepreneur, you will benefit from a 4-month incubation and business mentoring programme to further develop the viability of your venture, take part in sessions led by experts in the WASH sector, and pitch your business in front of a high-level jury for a chance to win a seed grant for your business.

Throughout the programme, you will create your own executive summary business plan to present to potential investors or new co-founders while receiving the necessary support from a personalized mentor, and having the certainty that you are building a business validated by your potential clients.

Benefits

• You will follow the programme’s step-by-step methodology, working directly on your business and making the most important decisions. You will also be able to visualize your financial projections, growth, and impact plan for the next years.
• Pitch your business in front of a top-level jury and win a seed capital prize, granted to the finalists of the final Demo Day event ($15K in total divided for the top 4 entrepreneurs: $5K each for the first two and $2.5K each for the other two).
• Collaborate from anywhere at any time through their online platform; no barriers, limits, or excuses; just an internet connection.
• You’ll be partnered with a professional to personally guide you in weekly mentoring sessions so that your project grows in the right direction.
• The platform offers a learn-by-doing approach inspired by MIT’s Disciplined Entrepreneurship and you’ll get to generate a business plan in PDF.
• Become a part of a supportive community of founders from 89 countries that share resources and harness challenges together. So far, 3000+ entrepreneurs from 126 countries have gone through the programme!

Eligibility

• You are or identify as a woman and your business is women-led (or at least 50% of the founding team is female).
• You are based in and your venture impacts Africa (Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Tanzania, South Africa) or Latin America (Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia).
• You have an early-stage innovation-based business (you have a business concept developed or an MVP recently launched) and your business is either a for-profit or a social enterprise.
• You can dedicate at least 6-8 hours per week during the duration of the program (4 months) to work on the platform and have online meetings with your mentor.
• You have access to a computer or tablet and a reliable and stable internet connection, as all the program will be online.
• You speak fluent English (keep in mind the whole program and all activities related will be in this language).

They are looking for early-stage women-led ventures across the following value chains:

• (Safe) water
  Type of innovations may include but are not limited to:
  • Household/ community water treatment and safe water storage
  • Innovative water treatment and water filtration in homes and emergency contexts
  • Products for testing water quality
  • Provision of safe water
• Sanitation
  Type of innovations may include but are not limited to:
  • Lightning and amenities for safer latrines
  • Fecal sludge treatment
  • Innovative fecal sludge disposal
• Hygiene
  Type of innovations may include but are not limited to:
  • Innovative handwashing solutions for difficult contexts
  • Affordable soap and soap alternatives
  • Affordable or sustainable menstrual hygiene solutions

Application

Click here to apply