The MAN Impact Accelerator

Application Deadline: September 23rd 2018

The MAN Impact Accelerator brings social entrepreneurs from Europe, South Africa and India together to tackle social and environmental challenges through innovative solutions in the transport and logistics space. Join us on a journey from Munich to Wolfsburg via Mumbai and Cape Town to San Francisco.

Connect with fellow entrepreneurs, get access to a pool of more than 300 mentors from MAN Truck & Bus, Salesforce and Yunus Social Business. Among them are MAN CEO Joachim Drees and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus who has built social businesses impacting over 27 million people. Get also access to impact investors and key MAN resources.

Requirements:

Is your startup located in Europe, India or South Africa?
Do you create tangible and measurable impact?
Does your business have a strong transport, logistics or mobility component?
Are you ready for a journey that will transform the way you build your social business?

Benefits:

Travel and accommodation costs are covered by MAN Truck & Bus. The program provides an indirect grant and support of up to 50,000 USD for each startup (no equity or cash). This also includes free access to coaches and mentors as well as to software and data perks for free or at preferred rates.

The program offers a range of benefits from various partners. The below list is by far not comprehensive and gives you an indication of how we help you grow further.

Assets & Services from MAN

MAN Staff Mentors with Industry Expertise
MAN’s Global Network of Partners
MAN’s Supply & Distribution Networks
Access to the Volkswagen family
Access to MAN’s “RIO” platform

Assets & Services from YSB

Access to Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prof. Yunus
Visiting entrepreneurs from the YSB portfolio
Access to social businesses by Grameen
Potential funding from YSB
Access to a global impact investor community

Assets & Services from other partners

Access to more than 300 mentors
Consulting services
Visits at sites of social entrepreneurs
Access to the Silicon Valley community
Software for free or at preferred rates

Timeline:

The MAN Impact Accelerator kicks off at the Global Social Business Summit in Wolfsburg in November 2018. The curriculum that follows will take you to cities like Munich, Mumbai, Cape Town and San Francisco. The official closing ceremony in Munich in June 2019 will mark the end of the program.

23 September 2018

Application Deadline

Last chance to get your application sent!

04 – 09 November 2018

1st Program Week in Munich & Global Social Business Summit in Wolfsburg (Germany)

Start the program off with amazing mentors around purpose, team building and industry expertise. Meet executives from MAN Truck & Bus and Yunus Social Business (incl. Prof. Yunus) as well as the global social business community.

21 – 23 January 2019

2nd Program Week in Mumbai (India)

Learn from experienced mentors in the fields of Product Development and Growth Marketing. Get to know key stakeholders and partners in the Mumbai ecosystem.

04 – 07 March 2019

3rd Program Week in Cape Town (South Africa)

Meet mentors who will help you integrate social or environmental impact into your business model and HR experts who can help you build a more resilient business. Visit exciting stakeholders in Africa’s most vibrant startup ecosystem.

29 April – 01 May 2019

4th Program Week in San Francisco (USA)

Get a sip of the Silicon Valley’s spirit and ambition to understand how you can scale your business beyond national borders. Meet tech mentors to learn about the latest technology and talk to investors who have backed the world’s leading social businesses.

17 – 20 June 2019

Final Program Week in Munich (Germany)

Learn more about how to persuasively present your business and visit Munich’s most exciting places for startup entrepreneurs. Put your newly acquired skills into action when meeting impact investors over dinner and presenting your progress at our final Closing Ceremony.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the MAN Impact Accelerator Program 2018 for Social Entrepreneurs