Deadline: 31-Mar-22
The World Resources Institute India (WRI India) and Sangam Ventures launched the Land Accelerator South Asia, the world’s first accelerator program targeted specifically toward South Asian businesses that restore degraded forests and farmland.
The program provides South Asian entrepreneurs with mentorship and networking opportunities, technical training and workshops to build their storytelling and pitching skills, and enhances skills for tracking environmental and social impact. Participants leave the program more empowered to connect with potential investors so they can take their business to the next stage of growth.
The 73 businesses that have graduated from the program, chosen from nearly 800 applicants, have created nearly 1,800 jobs, restored 70,000 hectares of land, engaged 1.1 million small and marginal farmers and grown 8.7 million trees.
What does the program look like?
In 2021, WRI India and Sangam took a novel approach to the Land Accelerator South Asia. They expanded the size of their cohort and selected 58 entrepreneurs from across the continent to join them for an all-virtual business creation and growth accelerator.
Benefits
- The top 58 applicants received:
- Three months of exclusive, weekly trainings.
- Templates to create content to help their business thrive.
- Weekly office hours with mentors who lent their expertise to discuss how to integrate new concepts and tools into their business strategy.
- Weekly networking sessions to speak with and learn from other land restoration entrepreneurs in the cohort.
- By the end of the program, entrepreneurs had:
- A compelling one-minute pitch to hook investors, customers and potential partners.
- A 10-to-12 slide pitch deck targeted toward investors.
- An environmental indicator measurement, management and marketing plan.
- A three- to five-year financial model to visualize growth projections and to identify capital needs.
- Increased confidence in their business’s mission and operations.
- All participants had an opportunity to apply for a Land Accelerator Investment Pack, which was awarded to the top 15 entrepreneurs and includes:
- A €3,000 innovation grant.
- A coaching meeting with a Land Accelerator organizer to develop their investment and innovation grant plan.
- A 90-minute group mentorship session with members of the Land Accelerator mentor network, who provide tailored feedback and suggestions.
- The opportunity to present their three-minute business pitch at the virtual Land Accelerator Demo Day, an event that brings together the 15 grant recipients and business and social investors from across the continent.
Eligibility Criteria
- Working to improve an agrarian, farm or forest landscape through a business approach. This includes climate-smart agriculture, sustainable forestry, reforestation, non-timber forest produce and similar activities
- Stage – Minimum Viable Product, Early traction, Scaling
- Interested in raising money for your venture
- Incorporated in India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan or Sri Lanka
For more information, visit https://www.wri.org/initiatives/land-accelerator/south-asia