Acumen Accelerator 2022 For Ventures Serving Displaced people ($75,000 grant)

Deadline: April 12, 2022

Forced displacement is one of the defining social crises in our lifetimes. The number of forcibly displaced people (FDP) — a population that includes refugees, internally displaced people, asylum seekers, hosting communities, and those displaced by conflict or climate impacts — surpassed 80 million in 2020, and projections suggest that 250 million to 1 billion could be displaced worldwide by 2050 from climate change alone.

Eastern Africa is being affected by a series of destabilizing social and climatic shocks that are forcing displacement. This is especially concerning given that the region currently hosts over 4.5 million refugees and 8 million internally displaced people. Humanitarian efforts—while critical—often do not address the longer-term, systemic challenges around employment, economic opportunity, and self-reliance presented by this crisis for the region’s millions of refugees, asylum seekers, and people displaced by climate change. Most forcibly displaced people will never return home, and durable solutions within hosting communities are needed.

Learn How To:

Refine and develop a profitable and scalable business model
Identify key opportunities for growth while supporting either displaced or hosting communities through market, workforce, and value-chain entry points
Develop the hard-edged leadership skills necessary for building better, inclusive, and sustainable business solutions
Sharpen your presentation skills and practice pitching to an audience of investors and entrepreneurs — with a chance to receive a share of US $75,000 of grant funding
Build a professional network and community of social entrepreneurs in East Africa who are committed to tackling displacement and inequality

Eligibility

This accelerator is open to entrepreneurs who:

Run a for-profit social enterprise based in Kenya, Uganda, or Ethiopia
Are advancing self-reliance in and between forcibly displaced populations and their hosting communities in at least one of the following ways:
- Serving communities vulnerable to displacement, forcibly displaced populations, and/or hosting communities as customers
- Providing decent work and employment to communities vulnerable to displacement, forcibly displaced populations, or hosting communities
- Sourcing from communities who are affected by displacement, communities vulnerable to displacement, or hosting them
Have a demonstrated track record of at least 1-3 years, some market traction, and are preparing to scale
Favorable consideration will be given to teams promoting climate-resilient solutions