Deadline: 15 November 2019
2SCALE, one of Africa’s largest agribusiness incubators and accelerators, is inviting entrepreneurs, startups and SMEs with digital innovations to apply to their innovation challenge.
2SCALE is an incubator and accelerator program that manages a portfolio of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) for inclusive business in agrifood sectors and industries in eight countries across Africa.
The 2SCALE program is implemented by consortium of three partners and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Digital technologies such as hyperlocal weather forecasting, mobile finance, supply chain management and traceability solutions are increasingly transforming agri-food value chains in Africa. They enable farmers and other actors to produce more, better and safer food while preserving natural resources and biodiversity.
- 2SCALE innovation is looking for digital innovations for agribusinesses
- It is important that applicants innovation promotes food and nutrition security, climate-smart (eco-efficient) agriculture, as well as the inclusion of women and youth as farmers, and entrepreneurs.
- A unique opportunity to implement applicants digital innovation at scale
- Being one of the largest agribusiness incubators in Africa, challenge can unlock significant scaling opportunities for applicants. In their 60 partnerships innovation challenge engage with 750,000 farmers across eight countries.
What’s in it for applicants?
This is an innovation challenge like no other. They do not promise a large sum of money for a few lucky winners. Instead, they offer a unique chance to unlock significant scaling opportunities in their agribusiness partnerships.
- Scaling opportunities: Innovation Challenge unlock scaling opportunities in one (or more) of the 60 2SCALE partnerships and their 750,000 farmers across eight countries.
- Technical support: 2SCALE innovation Challenge provide access to a network of inclusive business and innovation experts for technical support and brokering efforts necessary for the scaling of applicants innovation.
- Impact research: If needed, they bring in a research team to get insights into the impact of applicants innovation in their partnerships as to share learnings and provide recommendations for improvement.
Focus Areas
2SCALE innovation challenge is looking for digital innovations that fit one or more of the focus areas below. Their particular interest goes out to innovations that have an impact on multiple focus areas or across the smallholder value chain.
- Sustainable farming practices
- Climate resilience
- Financial inclusion
- Post-harvest waste reduction
- Resource-efficient processing
- Value chain integration
Eligibility Criteria
- Any entrepreneur or organisation with a digital innovation, ready to scale in the 2SCALE countries Kenya, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger with own financial means.
- Applicants bring much of the budget required to finance the implementation of their innovation in 2SCALE(2SCALE innovation are not a grant provider but might compensate reasonable startup costs to offset risks of entering a new geography or adapting their innovation for the 2SCALE partnerships.
How to Apply
Applicants must download the application form via given website.
For more information, please visit https://www.2scaleinnovation.org/