Deadline: January 31, 2022
Applications are now open for the Making More Health Business Accelerator Program 2022. The program aims to unlock the potential for growth, impact, and sustainability of promising startups in the health sector in a bid to advance access to healthcare in targeted countries across Africa.
By combining financial access, strategic networks, technical support, and collaboration with leading global organizations like Boehringer Ingelheim and Ashoka, the program provides its participants with a powerful platform to accelerate their growth, impact and sustainability.
Since 2011, Ashoka – one of the world’s largest networks of social entrepreneurs and Boehringer Ingelheim – a family-owned world-leading, and research-driven Pharmaceutical company, have collaborated to co-create and grow the global initiative – Making More Health (MMH). Making More Health brings together the best experience in social innovation and global healthcare to improve healthcare access for people, animals, and their communities around the world.
Program Phase
The MMH Business Accelerator, currently in its fourth year, is a structured business growth program that consists of 2 phases.
- Phase 1 – called the “Pilot Phase” runs for 12 months and involves co-creation and pilot implementation of a high-impact strategic project or initiative to drive growth, impact, and sustainability of participating businesses. The Pilot Phase comes with financial support of Euro 50,000.
- Phase 2 – called the “Scale-up Phase” also runs for 12 months and follows the successful implementation of the pilot phase. Businesses that advance to the scale-up phase receive additional financial support of between Euro 100K-200K. Co-creation involving hand-in-hand collaboration between the social entrepreneurs and Boehringer Ingelheim employees who volunteer to contribute their time and expertise to the pilot and scale-up projects is a key component of both phases of the program.
Benefits
- Knowledge Access: The program offers participants multiple opportunities for professional growth and development in their entrepreneurial journey. Includes in-person and online workshops and seminars on topics about operations, systems change, replication & transfer, social finance, among others.
- Technical expertise: Participants have access to experienced employees at Boehringer Ingelheim who volunteer their time to provide hands-on technical support across a variety of professional disciplines. Engagement with BI employees may take place virtually or in person through an Executive in Residence program that has experienced executives placed within the social entrepreneurs’ organizations for between 2-4 weeks to work on specific aspects of the projects.
- Strategic networks: Accelerator participants become part of an ever-growing and closely-knit community of ecosystem actors including impact investors, foundations, philanthropists, government agencies, corporate executives, social entrepreneurs, experts, and multinational healthcare companies all committed to improving health care access for humans and animals across Africa.
- Financial and Investor access support: The program provides each participant with a grant of Euros 50k for pilot implementation, with the possibility of additional scale-up funds at the end of a successful pilot. Participants also receive expert-led investment readiness coaching and support before and after the program to facilitate access to third-party investors.
- Business Collaboration: Where there is a timely and strategic fit between Boehringer Ingelheim and an accelerator participant, there is the potential for a strategic business collaboration to be formed with the promise of significant long-term benefits for both organizations.
Eligibility
- Open to business or social enterprise.
- At least three years of operation.
- Any sector that contributes directly or indirectly to human or animal health.
- Be operational in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.
- Have at least USD 100K in annual sales revenue.
- Show clear metrics and evidence of impact.
- Have a strong team with the right size and level of competency.
Application
The deadline for application is January 31, 2022. Late applications will not be considered.
For more information, visit MMH Accelerator.
