Ashoka Making More Health Accelerator 2023 for Social Entrepreneurs(50,000 Euros)
The Making More Health Business Accelerator, is a structured business growth program targeted at social entrepreneurs with innovative solutions in the health sector. The program offers two engagement phases.
Phase 1, called the “Pilot Phase”, runs for 12 months and focuses on supporting entrepreneurs to:
- a) identify strategic challenges and/or opportunities related to the growth, sustainability and impact of their social enterprises
- b) co-create and test relevant solutions.
Phase 2, called the “Scale-up Phase” also runs for 12 months and focuses on supporting participants to scale up successful solutions from the first phase of engagement. In both phases, participating entrepreneurs are provided with access to technical support from Boehringer Ingelheim employees, strategic networks, financial resources, and a platform to collaborate, learn and engage with fellow social entrepreneurs and other ecosystem actors.
Background
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 actors from the healthcare ecosystem, including social entrepreneurs, corporations, impact investors, government agencies, foundations, and local stakeholders, among others, to engage and collaborate on ways to increase access to healthcare for underserved populations around the world.
Focus areas
The accelerator broadly focuses on supporting social entrepreneurs with innovative solutions aimed at advancing access to healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa. Solutions may be both in the animal or human health field. The specific countries from which we are currently selecting participants are Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Ghana.
Human health
Human healthcare care solutions of interest broadly include any innovation that is tackling barriers to awareness, access, affordability, and availability of healthcare services in underserved communities. Of particular interest are innovations that are addressing non-communicable (NCDS) as the main area of focus or as a core part of a broader intervention scope. NCDS include diabetes, hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, respiratory disease, and cancers.
Animal health
Animal Health is a critical part of healthcare, and we are interested in supporting the most innovative solutions tackling barriers to awareness, access, affordability, and availability of animal healthcare. Of particular interest are solutions at the last mile as well as those tackling issues related to human-animal transmission.
Program criteria
You should apply for the program if you have an innovative human or animal health solution that fits the description provided above and if you meet the criteria below.
- Legal Entity: Company limited by guarantee, Limited liability company, NGO
- Age: At least three years of operation
- Sector: Human or animal health related.
- Country of operation: Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda.
- Revenue: At least USD 100K in annual sales revenue.
- Impact: Evidence of social impact with clearly defined impact metrics
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 and 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. Additionally, the program engages a number of consultants to offer tailored expert support to participants in areas such as investor engagement, communications and pitching.
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. Successful applicants will also be able to tap into the newly launched Making More Health access network that will potentially leverage the expert engagement and support between the social entrepreneurs and the Boehringer Ingelheim employees.
Financial and Investor access support
The program provides each participant with a grant of 50k Euro 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. In addition, the program gives program participants a platform to showcase their innovations and engage a growing community of impact investors at MMH’s annual investor showcase event as well as other external investor access events. Additionally, entrants into the business accelerator community will have opportunities to apply for extra funding via the just launched Boehringer Ingelheim Social Engagement Fund.
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.
Selection process
| Activity | Timeline |
| Submission of applications | 14th November 2022 – 13th January2023 |
| One-on-one interviews | 14th January 2023 – 20th February, 2023 |
| Due diligence and site visit | 1st February 2023 – 28th February, 2023 |
| Panel interview | 15th March, 2023 |
| Announcement of successful applicants. | 17th March, 2023 |
Info sessions
To learn more about the program and if you have any questions, you are invited to attend any of the virtual information sessions that will take place during the open call for applications. See below for details.
Information session 1:
- Date: 22nd November
- Time: 10:00am-11:30am (EAT)
- Zoom link: Register
Information session 2:
- Date: 15th December
- Time: 10:00am-11:30am (EAT)
- Zoom link: Register
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