BusinessCool Accelerator for Social Entrepreneurship

“BusinessCool” Accelerator for social entrepreneurship is a long-term non-residential program, specially designed to strengthen the capacity of 25 local social enterprises from the Republic of Moldova. The program is initiated with the aim of increasing and improving the positive impact of the activity of the entrepreneurs and the companies they run or are employed.

APPLY UNTIL SEPTEMBER 5

The program will include:

1 initiation workshop (bootcamp), with a duration of 3 days, which will include a set of sessions, focused on the development of social enterprises, during which the participants will apply tools for diagnosing their own business at the current stage and for business development;
5 thematic seminars, on the topics relevant for the beneficiaries of the program, according to the real needs identified by them during the application period;
4 study visits to local and international model social enterprises;
3 group coaching sessions in the form of group work meetings, on topics selected in agreement with the participants, according to the most complex issues they face;
Individual mentoring sessions, depending on the needs of the beneficiaries;
Micro-grant competition, with the opportunity for the participants to apply for a small financing for the development of their business (max. 1000 EUR);
Elaboration and implementation by participants of an individual initiative on the development of their own business;
Development and launch of an online platform for local social entrepreneurs - participants will be involved in the brainstorming process regarding the development of the online platform designed to promote and/or sell local social products and services;
The official closing ceremony of the program within the framework of IarmarEco - a two-day event dedicated to the promotion of environmental initiatives and social entrepreneurship in Moldova - where participants will present their projects and will be rewarded for the results of activities within the accelerator.

OBJECTIVES AND BENEFITS

“BusinessCool” Accelerator for Social Entrepreneurship is a program designed to accelerate the growth of local social enterprises under development, with the aim of increasing and improving the positive impact of their activity.

The specific objectives pursued by this program are:

increasing the level of entrepreneurial and managerial competencies and skills of managers and staff of social enterprises,
encouraging the implementation of innovative methods of social enterprises management,
creating collaborative bridges with internal and external partners,
increasing the competitiveness of social enterprises, by supporting the adaptation of the offer to the demands of the market or the development of products and services requested by consumers.

Benefits for participants:

vocational training
improving entrepreneurial and managerial skills
group coaching and individual mentoring
networking
new opportunities for promotion and sales
identification of opportunities for new business development

CALENDAR: Program duration: March - December 2020

Stages:

Registration and selection of participants
Initiation workshop (bootcamp) / Study visit to EcoVillage Moldova - an ecological community in organic evolution from Riscova village: 11 - 13 September 2020
Training and mentoring program (thematic seminars, study visits, group coaching sessions, individual mentoring sessions): September - December 2020
Micro-grant competition: November - December 2020
Implementation by the participants of the individual initiatives on development of their own businesses: September - December 2020
Development of the online platform for local social entrepreneurs: March - October 2020
Closing ceremony: December 2020

PARTICIPANT'S PROFILE

The acceleration program is intended for small business founders and their team members, who:

carry on non-profit or for-profit business activity, including unregistered
have a duration of activity of at least 1 year
have registered sales from the activity
carry on an activity aimed at improving the living conditions, as well as providing opportunities for people from disadvantaged categories of population, by strengthening economic and social cohesion, including at the level of the local authorities, through employment, development of social services in the interest of the community and increasing social inclusion
offer a product/service with a positive ecological or social impact
operate in areas related to organic agriculture, organic food production, healthy nutrition, energy efficiency, renewable energy, conscious consumption, urban/rural development, ecological transport, environmental protection, waste management, tourism and active lifestyle , educational services, social services, etc.
are eager to develop their business, by diversifying their activity, increasing the quality of the products/services offered, improving the operational process, increasing the quality of company management etc.

By registering in the program, the participants undertake to participate in at least 80% of the activities of the program *, throughout the term.

* The events can be attended by both the entrepreneurs who submitted the application and their representatives/employees working in the fields related to training topics.

CONDITIONS OF APPLICATION

Interested entrepreneurs are requested to complete the Application Form.

The application deadline is September 5, 2020, 11:59 pm. Selected participants will be notified by email and by phone by September 7, 2020.

LOCATION: Most of the activities within the program will be organized offline, in Chisinau or at the Ecological Training Center in Riscova village, Orhei district.

COST OF PARTICIPATION

Participation in the program does not require financial means for the participants, but it does require time to be involved in at least 80% of the activities of the program. All costs related to organization and implementation of the program are covered by the organizer. The accelerator participants should arrange at their own expense only the transport to the training location.

CONTACTS: Tatiana Bogaci, program coordinator, telephone: 079801012, email: tatiana.bogaci@ecovisio.org

The "BusinessCool" Accelerator for social entrepreneurship is implemented by EcoVisio with support from EFSE Entrepreneurship Academy, funded by the EU4Business initiative of the European Union, and from LED Moldova Foundation (Liechtenstein Development Services), in partnership with the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Program (GEF SGP), implemented by UNDP Moldova and the Slovak FDA Program. This event contributes to the development of a multilateral initiative - the Agribusiness Incubator implemented by Katalyst and EcoVisio in cooperation with the Slovak Center for Community Development with the support of SlovakAid.

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