"Khaleeha Suessi" Round II  

 

"Khaleeha Suessi " Program Application

Supporting Entrepreneurs and Startups in Suez

 

For a second year, Arabian Cement Company has teamed up with Nahdet El Mahrousa (NM) to launch “Khaleeha Suessi”, a start-up competition focused on supporting social entrepreneurs tackling local economic challenges and opportunities in Suez. The main goal of the program is to create employment opportunities by providing entrepreneurs with the tools needed to successfully establish a business with strong social impact.

 

The programme is divided into two phases: a one month validation phase and a one year incubation phase.


 

Validation Phase

 

Following a shortlist of applications and subsequent interviews, a total of 15 startups will be selected for a month-long validation phase. During this phase the startups will be pre-incubated through bootcamps, intensive trainings and expert support from NM’s team, and will be given access to a peer-to-peer agents of change community in Egypt.  This will help the social entrepreneurs validate their ideas and refine their models prior to joining the incubator, where where a final 7 teams will be selected to continue their journey.

 

Incubation Phase

 

This is a full-time, year-long, intensive programme. Winning teams will receive tailored support and seed funding enabling their ventures to grow.

 

The incubated social startups  will receive:

• Seed funding of up to 150,000 L.E.

• 60 hours of mentorship by experts in the fields of entrepreneurship.

• 160 hours of entrepreneurship trainings and workshops

• Regularly hosted events to support peer-to-peer collaboration between teams.

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Who can apply?

 

The social startup:

• Provide sustainable solutions to local economic challenges and opportunities in Suez.

• All applications should have at least a proof of concept ready to be tested in the validation phase  (we DO NOT accept idea stage applications)

• Could be in either Startup (for profit) or Social (non profit) categories but must have a sustainable and/or profitable model with the aim to become self-sufficient on earned revenue in the long-term.

• Be scalable and have a potential for growth of the business, both financially and in terms of its social impact.

• Contributes to the development of the community in Suez and the creation of jobs

• Must have a quantifiable social and/or environmental impact incorporated into the core of the startup mission and practices.

• The startup must be in the pilot phase with a team in place

• The startup can work in any sector in the Suez Governorate with a focus on social and/or environmental impact, with a strong emphasis on the ability of the start-up to employ staff .

• Based on a study of the economy and economic sectors in Suez Governorate, sectors with high success rate are agriculture, food production, renewable energy and waste management. Khaleeha Suessi will give priority to the startups working in these sectors.

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The social startup’s team must be/have:

• Composed of at least two people with a diverse set of skills.

• Currently based in Suez or willing to operate from Suez while developing their startup.

• Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to work with and mobilize others.

• Relevant education and technical knowledge of their startup’s field is a must.

• A minimum of two years professional experience is preferred.

• Applicants must be committed and available throughout the programme to attend training and workshops

   

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 How to apply ?

 

Fill in the application form and submit it by July 15th 2017 at midnight.

 

• After completion of an initial screening process, shortlisted applications will be contacted for interviews then the accepted team will accepted to join the validation Phase

• After completion of the one-month Validation phase, the social entrepreneurs will be invited to pitch their idea in front of a panel.

• If selected, the entrepreneurs will get access to seed funding and will be provided with all incubation services.

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Hints and Tips

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What we are looking for in the Validation phase :

1. A Cause: a clearly identified root cause of a problem present in Suez

2. A social impact – we look for a clear theory of change and social impact delivery model which will scale in the future

3. A solid team – experience has taught us that social startups are more likely to thrive when they have a solid team and a variety of useful network connections.

 

What are we looking for in the incubation phase:

1. A flexible mindset- an ability to showcase flexibility and ability to iterate according to received feedback and proven market needs

2. A sustainable revenue model – clarity on the value proposition and your routes to market is important. We need to understand how the social startup will grow in terms of operations and impact

3. A coherent vision – a clear vision for the future with a sound and credible growth strategy allows us to clearly assess your ambition and potential.

 

We recognise that some of these elements may still be a work-in-progress, which is why we provide services and support during the incubation period. Our assessment also demands an understanding of the level of support required by each team.

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