Acumen Gender Equity and Advancement Accelerator Program

How it Works

During this 12-week program, you will learn the essentials for building a scalable business model that achieves both profitability and impact. Working alongside your close-knit cohort of entrepreneurial peers and Acumen experts, you’ll develop your leadership and business skills as you design your plan to embed gender equity as you scale.

As a participant, you’ll gain access to industry-specific case studies, video tutorials and practical readings, and receive invaluable one-on-one support and guidance from the team. Each week, you’ll complete assignments designed to help you think critically about your business model and introduce you to gender-inclusive best practices. During the leadership sessions, you’ll be challenged to redefine success and develop the moral imagination to create a society centered on dignity — then employ your new leadership and business skills to make it a reality.

You’ll also gain access to tools and teachings from Value for Women, including a training on the entry points, policies, and practices that will help you work towards becoming a gender equitable business.

The program will culminate with a closing gathering, including pitch practice and a celebration for all the hard work, lessons learned, and new relationships you’ll take with you as you scale your business in a gender-inclusive way.

Eligibility Requirements

The accelerator is open to social entrepreneurs who:

Run a social enterprise (nonprofit or for-profit) based in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia) or West Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Gambia) who are working to solve problems of poverty and dignity

Are dedicated to investing in their personal and business growth

Are deeply committed to the work of tackling poverty and injustice and are interested in being part of a global community bound by values

Have an enterprise that has been operational for 18 months or more (please note: if this is your second or third venture, this requirement is flexible. Be sure to include this in your application.)

Have a team of three or more full-time staff

Have a commitment to serving women across three entry points, and evidence of action in at least one:

Market (products and services)
Internal organization (workforce and policies)
Value chain (supply and distribution)

Benefits

Facilitated virtual Learning Labs for peer learning and discussion

Leadership lessons such as Listening to Voices Unheard and Partnering with Humility and Audacity

One-on-one consultation calls with Acumen’s team

Video tutorials on customer discovery, sales and marketing, financial modeling, pitching, and more

Unconscious bias training, workshops, and self-assessment strategies for embedding gender inclusivity into your scaling plan

Case studies from social enterprises that have successfully scaled and contributed to gender equity and advancement

GRADUATE INTO THE ACUMEN FOUNDRY

Upon completing the 12-week program, participants are admitted to The Foundry, an invite-only community designed to accompany entrepreneurs and leaders from around the world by connecting them with the social capital (resources and relationships) to amplify their work in building a just, inclusive, and sustainable world.

Foundry members have exclusive access to:

Events to learn and connect with fellow foundry members

Professional development opportunities that may include pro-bono consulting services and professional leadership coaching

Experts within the Acumen Ecosystem for mentorship or advisory sessions

Referrals to affiliated leadership programs and platforms

Access to funding, grants offered ad hoc by other organizations, or referrals within the Acumen network

Timeline:

Applications Open: February 21, 2023

Applications Close: April 4, 2023

Program: June 13th – September 1st, 2023

For More Information:

Application Deadline: April 21st, 2022

To support social entrepreneurs committed to leading the change in gender equity and advancement, the new accelerator will equip leaders with the moral leadership lessons, business skills, and learnings from our portfolio companies to confidently scale their enterprises and embed gender inclusive approaches into their models.

Learn How To

Refine and develop a profitable and scalable business model
Embed and expand gender equity into your business through market, workforce, and value-chain entry points
Develop hard-edged leadership skills — such as practicing courage, deep listening, and stepping outside the status quo — that are necessary for building better, inclusive, and sustainable business solutions
Sharpen your presentation skills and practice pitching to an audience of investors and entrepreneurs
Build a professional network and lifelong community of social entrepreneurs in East and West Africa who are committed to tackling injustice

Requirements

Run a social enterprise (nonprofit or for-profit) based in East (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia) or West Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Gambia)
Have a demonstrated track record of at least 12-18 months, some market traction, and are preparing to scale
Have a team equivalent to three or more full-time staff

Have a commitment to serving women across three entry points, and evidence of action in at least one:

Market (products and services)
Internal organization (workforce and policies)
Value chain (supply and distribution)

Benefits

Six Learning Labs alongside your cohort of entrepreneurs
Three one-on-one consultation calls with Acumen’s team
Video tutorials on customer discovery, sales and marketing, financial modeling, pitching, and more
Unconscious bias training, workshops, and self-assessment strategies for embedding gender inclusivity into your scaling plan
Case studies from social enterprises that have successfully scaled and contributed to gender equity and advancement

This is an online program. The weekly Learning Labs will be hosted virtually on the Zoom platform. You should have a stable internet connection and the ability to participate in video calls.

Program Dates

The program runs from April 21, 2022 to June 30, 2022

Schedule

Module 1

Visions of Scale for Social Enterprise Business Models

Understand different, customizable models for scaling your social enterprise
Develop a business model canvas that isolates key hypotheses for how your business model currently comes together
Define scenarios for how your social enterprise could successfully scale and map out your vision for growth and impact

Module 2

Gender equity and advancement as you scale

Build a deep understanding of both the moral and business case for embedding gender equity into your enterprise
Learn key concepts, identify entry points, and pinpoint ways to engage more women in your value chain, workforce, and as customers

Module 3

Customer Insights

Clearly define your core customer and value proposition
Design experiments to test your critical hypothesis
Conduct an experiment to better understand how women customers interact with your product or service

Module 4

Aligning a Pricing, Sales and Marketing Strategy to Your Value Proposition

Build a value proposition canvas using data from customer interviews and experiments
Develop pricing models aligned with your value proposition
Learn sales and marketing tactics and strategies to optimize your scale strategy

Module 5

Operational Model: Team and Partnerships

Learn common operational models for social enterprises
Match your existing or desired talent with related skill sets and plan to expand your workforce in a gender equitable way

Module 6

Building Your Financial Story and Model

Identify your major revenue and cost assumptions
Define your major financial milestones for next two years

Module 7

Pitching the Strategic Story of Your Business

Identify the right types of capital to finance your business as it scales
Practice pitching your business to stakeholders
Learn about the 2x challenge eligibility and how to attract investors who invest with a gendered lens

Key Dates

Applications Open: January, 11th 2022
Program Starts: April 21st, 2022
Program Closes: June 30th, 2022

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Acumen Gender Equity and Advancement Accelerator Program 2022

Acumen Gender Equity and Advancement Accelerator Program