Smart Villages Energy Innovation Challenge

Application Deadline: 16th April 2016

Every great innovation starts with an idea…but learning the skills to develop your idea into a successful business are just as important as the idea itself.
Do you have an idea for a business using off-grid energy in villages that you want to put into action?
Can you attend entrepreneurship training in Dar es Salaam from 29th Jul – 17th Sep 2016?
Enter The Smart Villages Energy Innovation Challenge 2016 to turn your idea into a reality.

In collaboration with the Cambridge Development Initiative, Smart Villages is running its second annual Off-grid Energy Innovation Challenge to support young aspiring East African entrepreneurs with ideas for social businesses that can run on off-grid energy. Finalists will again win a spot in the seven-week DAREnterprisers course to learn business skills, develop their idea into a full business plan, and pitch for start-up capital

This competition seeks to give young East African students and recent graduates an opportunity to develop business skills, build their network, meet peers for collaboration and win capital for innovative business ideas that use energy generated off-the-grid.

Up to five finalist teams will be chosen to receive certified intensive practical business training from the Cambridge Development Initiative (CDI) to help develop their idea and build it into full business plan and investment proposition.
At the end of the training period, finalists will pitch their business propositions to a judging panel who will chose the winning team.

The Challenge

Technological innovations for providing electricity services to rural villages have recently started to change the landscape of off-grid energy across the world, including East and Central Africa. Access to new forms of energy opens doors to a whole range of new social businesses and productive enterprises.

This competition seeks to find and support aspiring young entrepreneurs who have ideas for businesses that are made possible by off-grid energy access.

Examples of possible areas to consider include (but are not limited to):
▪▪ Mobile-phone-based businesses
▪▪ Innovative methods of agricultural processing or storage
▪▪ Waste management and sanitation
▪▪ Ideas for improvements to education or healthcare

Eligibility Requirements:

The competition is open to current university students or recent graduates under the age of 30.

Benefits:

The winning team will receive $3000 in prize capital to help implement their idea.
All finalists will benefit from:
▪Training – learn business skills through the seven-week DAREnterprisers course
▪Funding – direction towards additional funding sources, travel expenses and accommodation may be provided upon application
▪Certification – earn practical training credit
▪Network – expand your network of peers, potential partners and supporters

Idea generation and application

The entry phase of the competition is open between 16th March and 16th April 2016. The simple online application asks for some background on yourself and why you want to enter the competition and a short description of your idea.

The idea description should include:

The specific problem your idea is trying to solve
The solution you are proposing, how it is new and why it will work
How your solution would impact one specific community that you know well, and how it might apply to other communities across East Africa

Training and Development

Finalists win the opportunity to develop, trial and refine their idea with the CDI during and intensive seven-week DAREnterprisers programme based in Dar es Salaam. The focus will be on developing a product or service in direct interaction with test communities around Dar es Salaam.
During this training, you will learn how to:
▪Conduct market research and develop a business plan
Validate prototypes and build revenue models
Develop core business skills including public speaking, leadership and teamwork
Pitch to prospective investors Competition Format e4sv

Timeline:

Mar– Apr Submissions open for the Smart Villages Off-grid Energy Challenge
May :Up to five teams selected as finalists
Jul–Sep : DAREnterprisers business training course in Dar es Salaam
September : Finalists pitch to judges at the Dare to Change Dar conference
October : Winners receive prize capital

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Smart Villages Energy Innovation Challenge 2016 for East African Entrepreneurs

Application Deadline: 17 April 2015

Where: Entrants from throughout East Africa, training and finals to be held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Why: To give students and recent graduates an opportunity to develop business skills, build their network, meet peers for collaboration and win capital for energy access ideas to benefit East African villages beyond the reach of the electricity grid

The Smart Village Energy Innovation Challenge seeks to find and support new entrants into the entrepreneurial space who have ideas for businesses to improve energy access in off-grid communities. The Energy Innovation Challenge is an innovation business idea competition for academic credit, mentorship and prize money.

Applicants may submit ideas for distributing or implementing existing technologies or for developing promising new technologies for energy generation or storage.

Examples of possible areas to consider include (but are not limited to):

Ideas to implement and/or scale promising new technologies, for example, for cooking, cooling, mini-grids, direct mechanical power, etc.
Distribution models for energy products and systems
Innovative payment and financing systems

Eligibility:

Teams with at least one current student or recent graduate from an East African University or higher learning institution

Competition Finals

A final pitching session will be held in the week of 24 August 2015 in Dar es Salaam to choose the competition winners.
All team members must be present in Dar es Salaam to pitch to the panel of judges at the final session.
In case a member of the judging panel should for whatever reason not be able to attend the finals, Smart Villages will appoint another judge in their place to select the winners
Winners will receive 90% of prize capital within six weeks of the final pitching event. The remaining 10% will be due on the one year anniversary of the final pitching event, pending submission of a report on how their efforts over the past year developed.

Timeline

Mar – April 2015: Submissions open for energy access business ideas to benefit off-grid rural communities
May 2015: Finalists selected and notified
Jul – Aug 2015 : Eight-week business development training with CDI in Dar es Salaam
Aug 2015: Finalists pitch to final judging panel, including members from E.ON, GVEP, Practical Action, COSTECH and the Tanzania REA. Winners chosen and announced the week of 24 Aug 2015.
Sep 2015 Winners receive 90% of seed capital to progress their project
Aug 2016 Winners receive remaining 10% of prize money pending submission of a report on how their efforts progressed over the year since winning the award and presenting to the 2016 CDI entrepreneurship participants

Apply Now for the Smart Villages Innovation Challenge 2015

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Smart Villages Innovation Challenge

Smart Villages Energy Innovation Challenge 2016 for East African Entrepreneurs ( $USD 3000 & Funded Training in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)

2015 Smart Villages Energy Innovation Challenge for East African Students

Competition Finals