By Kelly Brantner | CEO
We're excited to share that the first cohort of our incubator program has wrapped!
Working in partnership with our Kenyan non-profit partner, Activate Action, the first cohort finished last month and we're now planning for the second intake.
The 30 women that participated in our incubator started by completing the Street Business School program, which is comprised of nine modules. The modules are designed to provide the practical skills and knowledge to start a business plus help build personal confidence as they begin their journey as entrepreneurs.
The participants committed to attending all the modules and we can report that there was 100% attendance based on the attendance sheet from each session. The modules include:
Following the Street Business School component of the incubator, the participants worked with coaches to fine-tune their business idea into a workable business plan. The focus is on microbusinesses where there's an identified market, and need, in their local community. Some of the businesses that were started included produce stands, food stalls serving items such as grilled corn and fishing and selling Omena, a local sardine from Lake Victoria.
To start their microbusiness, participants also received a grant which allowed them to purchase items such as fishing nets, grills as well as produce stands.
As the women take the first steps as business owners, they will receive ongoing coaching support and guidance to help them succeed and enjoy being entrepreneurs.
This first intake will also play an important role in cohort two as they'll be mentors for the next group of participants. Paying it forward by sharing their experiences and lessons learned will be a valuable part of this program as we continue to build towards our greater goal of supporting 500 women to become business owners.
Our GlobalGiving project page will remain open as we now start to prepare and fundraise for cohort number two.
In closing, on behalf of BBS and Activate Action thank you for support of our inaugural incubator and your donations to the grant pool of funds which launched the first 30 women entrepreneurs!
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