The Scale Kenya Forum 2018 for Kenyan social impact start-up

Application Deadline: 5pm EAT on 10th February,2018

The Scale Kenya Forum is coming to Kenya and invites all social impact start-ups to take their innovation to the next level. At Scale, you will have the opportunity to pitch to an audience of experienced investors and advisors, while benefiting from pre and post-event coaching. Winning ideas will receive mentorship, workspace and incubation support provided by Scale Kenya partners.

Scale is a program hosted by the East Africa Civil Society Initiative (CSI), a joint initiative of the Aga Khan University and the Aga Khan Foundation. With youth unemployment rates surpassing 50% in some regions, Scale aims to support young East African social entrepreneurs to unlock the growth of East Africa’s economies.

CSI will host the Scale Kenya forum on February 22nd, 2018 at the iHub, Lenana Road, Nairobi, Kenya. The forum will explore actionable solutions to the most pressing challenges faced by young entrepreneurs in the country, and provide opportunities for youth and stakeholders to exhibit their work to media, government, civil society, capacity building organisations, seed funders and private sector.

Selection Criteria:

• Team is primarily Kenyan.
• The business idea has gained some traction, yet is still in start-up phase.
• The business can come from any sector, but must focus on social or economic development in Kenya or East Africa.
• The business will have a measurable positive impact on an industry, community or the environment. The business can be commercial or non-profit, but must be highly scalable.
• The team represents they have the skills and drive to succeed.

Judging Criteria:

• A business idea that has gained some traction, but still in start-up phase/early stage (revenue and funding less than Kshs 10 million).
• Vision to solve pressing challenges first in Kenya and/or East Africa, and then globally.
• A business concept that will have a measurable positive impact on an industry, community or the environment.
• Potential to scale.
• Skills and drive to succeed.

Requirements from Selected Pitch Applicants:

1. Successful applicants MUST have a pitch deck.
2. The team will pitch for up to 5 minutes and be provided with 5 minutes of Q&A from judges.
3. The pitch deck should contain:

• The problem
• The solution
• Market size
• Traction
• Revenue streams
• Customer acquisition channels
• Competition
• Team
• Impact

Application Procedure:

Interested pitch competition applicants will follow the process below:

1. Start-ups will apply for the pitch competition online by 5pm EAT on 10th February,2018
2. 10 finalists will be announced on 15th February,2018
3. Finalists will receive coaching sessions facilitated by the iHub and Village Capital.
4. Main presentations of all finalists will take place from 3-5pm on February 22nd, 2018 at the iHub. Finalists will pitch for 5 minutes each, followed by 5 minutes of feedback and questions from judges.
5. Judges will choose three winners with the highest scores.
6. Winners will receive support from Scale Kenya forum partners: the iHub, Intellecap, TBN and Ongoza.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Scale Kenya Forum 2018