The program:
NESsT and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship launched the first South America Accelerator program in 2020, which invested in 17 social enterprises, sustaining 1,500 jobs for excluded individuals across the region.
Building on the impact and learnings of the first program, NESsT is launching a new accelerator with the goal to support social enterprises to create and maintain 2,500 formal, fairly-compensated jobs and conserve the planet.
Through this open call, we seek to welcome an initial cohort of 10 new social enterprises from Chile and/or Colombia into the program. Over the course of the next three years, we aim to extend this support to a total of 22 new companies.
During their time in the accelerator program, entrepreneurs (and their teams) receive direct business assistance from the NESsT Portfolio Managers, participate in workshops and events alongside other entrepreneurs in NESsT’s global portfolio, and access mentoring with IKEA professionals around the world. Additionally, they also access flexible financing that meets their needs. On average, social enterprises participate in the NESsT acceleration portfolio for 2-3 years.
“The learnings from other accelerator programs that we co-created with IKEA Social Entrepreneurship have laid a strong foundation for the new program. With this launch, we are thrilled to welcome a new cohort of enterprises in South America that are creating formal, well-paid jobs with career growth potential while conserving the planet, further amplifying their impact in the region. ”
Quem deve se candidatar?
We are looking for social enterprises in Chile and Colombia that are in the validation phase (enterprises with a validated product or service but cannot support operations) and enterprises entering the growth stage (enterprises whose sales cover initial operations but cannot sustain growth.)
Social enterprises that would be the best fit for this portfolio have a stable team that demonstrates potential to scale their business and social and environmental impact. We will also be considering enterprises that face obstacles when accessing financing from traditional sources due to the high-impact nature of their businesses, and that can most benefit from the advisory and mentoring services provided by the program.
Enterprises in the following sectors are encouraged to apply:
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Generally speaking, these are business models that focus on finding value in used items. We’re also interested in models that provide livelihood opportunities for marginalized communities.
Examples are enterprises in the secondary raw material market that collect, sort, and recycle materials such as plastic, textiles, electronic waste, and metals. In the waste management sector, preference will be given to models that can involve people or organizations that are currently working informally. We are also looking for enterprises with consumer-facing services and products with ‘care and repair’, recycling, and upcycling approaches and platforms that encourage the use of second-hand products.
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Social enterprises with business models that train, employ, and place people, specifically individuals from marginalized communities, in formal jobs, creating quality employment opportunities and addressing talent gaps. The excluded groups supported may include at-risk youth, especially women, people with disabilities, migrants, refugees, traditional communities, etc.
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Social enterprises that are part of supply chains for renewable products, such as sustainable farming or fishing, or have farm-to-table type models, where the goal is to support small producers and make the market fairer.
In this case, social impact comes from improving the lives and well-being of small producers, their families, and the marginalized communities that are connected to or affected by the processes of production, transformation, and providing agricultural services. We are also interested in models that focus on the role of women and youth in these efforts and those that support small farmers to transition and adapt to climate change, ensuring they earn a dignified income and making supply chains shorter and more transparent.
Impacto social
The program seeks enterprises with the potential to directly employ, place into employment, or increase the income, directly or indirectly, of at least 50–150 people from marginalized communities in the next 3 years.
We are seeking engaged partners that demonstrate a commitment to supporting one or more of the following communities:
Jovens em situação de risco
Women
Pequenos produtores (agricultores, pescadores, etc.)
Minorias étnicas
Pessoas com deficiência
Migrants and refugees
Potencial de crescimento
Os empreendimentos selecionados oferecem um produto ou serviço atrativo com evidências de demanda que podem incluir:
Participação em um mercado em expansão ou oportunidade de entrar em um novo mercado (segmento de clientes, nova área geográfica, etc.).
Opportunity to double sales in the next 18-24 months.
Se a empresa ainda não atingiu o ponto de equilíbrio, ela demonstra o potencial de se tornar lucrativa nos próximos 12 a 18 meses.
Enterprises with annual sales of at least USD $100,000 are preferred. Enterprises that do not have sales of USD $100,000 but demonstrate potential for high impact should still consider applying.
Time
As empresas devem ter uma equipe de gestão competente impulsionada por fortes valores éticos e que seja respeitada e integrada nas comunidades onde operam..
Os empreendedores/fundadores são acionistas e fazem parte da equipe executiva.
Preference for teams with a minimum of 4–6 people
Enterprises will have at least one woman on the management team or show a strong commitment to increasing the number of women in management positions in the next 12 months.
Financing Available:
Tipo de financiamento:
Recursos reembolsáveis, ou seja, empréstimos de longo prazo sem juros
Doações (avaliados caso a caso)
Valor do investimento por emprendimiento social:
Average investment of a total of USD $50,000 throughout participation in the program
In our portfolio, investments to enterprises have ranged from USD $20,000 to $90,000 over a 2–3 year period
Exemplos de uso do financiamento:
Validação do modelo de negócios
Melhoria do produto/serviço
Improvement/installation of the operations model
Expansão da capacidade de vendas e marketing
Desenvolvimento de plataformas digitais, transformação digital e implementação de novas tecnologias
Sistemas para monitorar o impacto social e/ou ambiental
Capital de giro
Certification processes
Durante a fase inicial de seleção, nossa equipe de portfólio agendará entrevistas com os empreendimentos pré-selecionados e partes interessadas. Também realizaremos visitas ao local e reuniões para obter uma compreensão mais profunda do empreendimento e as perspectivas de crescimento. Isso incluirá uma análise detalhada das operações da empresa, equipe e impacto social e ambiental.
Como parte do processo seletivo, a Equipe do Portfólio preparará memorandos/relatórios de investimento para apresentar os negócios com potencial a serem apoiados pela NESsT a duas comissões de investimento externas. Após esta etapa, será tomada a decisão final sobre o apoio ou não ao negócio. O processo de seleção e diligência podem levar de 4 a 5 meses a partir da data de inscrição. Durante todo o processo, os negócios que avançarem nas etapas receberão sugestões, ideias e recomendações da Equipe NESsT.
Compromisso
By applying to the accelerator program, social enterprises and their teams commit to allocating time to work with portfolio managers, engaging in the program’s required activities and upholding NESsT’s core values:
Creating jobs that pay fair wages and prices and contribute to providing a quality of life for excluded and marginalized people
Abordar a diversidade, equidade e inclusão no local de trabalho e implementar práticas correspondentes
Incorporar práticas de sustentabilidade ambiental em seus modelos de negócios e impacto social
Como se candidatar
Preencha e revise o formulário de inscrição, prepare todas as informações necessárias e inclua um vídeo (veja abaixo).
Crie um vídeo curto, com no máximo 3 minutos, onde explique:
O modelo de negócios
O impacto social: a comunidade em situação de risco que você busca apoiar e o papel da empresa em suas vidas
How you think your social enterprise can benefit from the acceleration program
Faça o upload do vídeo no YouTube e copie e cole o link no formulário de inscrição no local solicitado.
Envie a inscrição completa até 15 de outubro de 2023
Perguntas
Visit our FAQ page for answers to commonly-asked questions about the application process.