INTRODUCTION
introduction
Sankalp Africa East meets West was started with the mission of building equitable societies of the future that will leverage heavily on innovation and entrepreneurship. Sankalp Africa East Meets West is being hosted on July 18th 2022 from 2 PM to 8 PM in Accra, Ghana.
For more than a decade, Sankalp has successfully built regional ecosystems for India and Africa, connecting international players with local organizations and entrepreneurs. We understand the importance of bringing together diverse stakeholders at the intersection of business and development, and the impact this has for early stage businesses to be able to grow.
Watch Sankalp East Meets West Wrap Video
After successfully catalyzing regional ecosystems in India and in East Africa, the Sankalp team intends to create value for the West African ecosystem by:
- Creating a unique entrepreneur-centric platform to drive sustainable development through business in West Africa
- Stitching together both anglophone and francophone West Africa through exploring common challenges, and unique opportunities across the region
- Providing better connections, opportunities for learning, and platforms for exchange across East and West Africa
Our first convening will be in Accra Ghana, along the sidelines of the ANDE West Africa Regional Conference.
Part 1: Meet and Repeat
The first segment of the event will drive connections between entrepreneurs and the local investor and incubation community. Entrepreneurs may be nominated for the program by local hubs, accelerators, and incubators and the event will accommodate up to 25 entrepreneur participants.
The objective of the meet and repeat is not to close an investment, because we know these deals can take many months, if not years to close. Rather, our objective is to provide a point of connection between these stakeholders in order to: 1) provide feedback on the business model, 2) gain insights directly from the investor community on what they themselves are looking for in potential deals, 3) begin building relationships with the investment community early on in the business’ journey.
3:00pm to 5:00pm GMT.Â
We are looking for enterprises that:
- Are operating in a high-impact sector (such as agriculture, energy access, financial inclusion, circular economies, healthcare, livelihoods, affordable housing, etc.)
- Have a business model that clearly caters to rural, low-income, disadvantaged communities and/or addresses a pressing environmental issue
- Have a clear for-profit business model with high potential for scale
- Have an experienced and dedicated promoter team
- Have some proof of concept on the ground, and are preferably generating revenues
- Are looking for funding in the range of $10,000 to $1,000,000 USD
- Are operating in West Africa
Part 2: East Meets West Discussion & Networking
The second half of the program will focus on building bridges between East and West Africa. At Sankalp, we’re big on south-south collaboration and the challenges we’ve seen in the East African entrepreneurship ecosystem are incredibly similar to those that we’re seeing also in West Africa. A 45-minute engaging discussion will draw insights from a few individuals who’ve crossed the continent from both a professional and personal perspective. We’ll ask them to share some of the common challenges they see, the unique opportunities across markets, and the differences they experience, culturally and professionally.
5:00pm to 8:00pm GMT.
Key highlights
Key highlights
PARTNER WITH US
We are looking for local partners willing to contribute their knowledge, energy, and expertise to support the development of a positive Social Enterprise Ecosystem across the African region.
Consider partnering with us through:
- Co-hosting a this, or other future events that will help build the entrepreneurial ecosystem
- Co-hosting a structured networking or mixer opportunity for the Social Enterprise community in your city
- Contributing inspiring speakers or sharing innovative models of doing business
CONTACT US
THE SPIRIT OF SANKALP AFRICA EAST MEETS WEST
