Female entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa can now apply for the BIC Africa Acceleration Programme to scale their businesses and access expert mentorship. Apply below:Â
When is the Application Deadline:
The application deadline is Thursday, March 20, 2025, at 6:00 PM CET.
Table of Contents
Tell Me About The BIC Africa Online Acceleration 2025 Program:
The fifth edition of the BIC Africa Acceleration Program for Women Entrepreneurs will support 30 women entrepreneurs in total, including 20 from the country projects Angola, Comoros, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Somalia and 10 others from other Sub-Saharan African countries willing to scale their businesses, while contributing to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Also, the program will run from April to July 2025, and it will focus on established post-revenue women entrepreneurs with a registered business and an operational team, across all sectors and business types through a combination of online training modules, group coaching sessions, individual exercises, and networking sessions with women experts from Africa and Europe with relevant experience in supporting innovative entrepreneurs and start-ups. One-on-one mentoring sessions will be offered to a limited number of participants
- GOAL’s NextGen Youth Program 2025 For Young Changemakers (Stipend Available)
- PAID INTERNSHIP: Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) Internship Program 2025 For Young Unemployed South African Graduates
Which Fields are Eligible?
Entrepreneurship
Type:
Acceleration Program
Who can Apply for the BIC Africa Online Acceleration 2025 Program?
Also, the preferred candidate should:
- Be a woman (minimum age of 18-years-old) founder/owner of already established business with an operational team and a strong development potential. Â
- Be available between April and July 2025 to participate in the Programme with maximum 2 hours per week for online sessions + time to work individually and reflect upon the learnings.Â
- Already running a start-up or company (it must be registered since at least 1 year) and seeking to scale up. Â
- Demonstrate commitment to actively participate in all the activities of the Acceleration Programme and assisting future developments of the programme.Â
- Have access to reliable internet connection.Â
- Have a good working knowledge of English language.
How are Applicants Selected?
Applicants will be evaluated based on the following criteria (scored out of 50 points):
- Business description and business model – assesses the entrepreneurial profile, market needs, and business structure (10 points).
- Innovation dimension – evaluates the innovative aspects of the product or service (10 points).
- Scalability – assesses the potential for business growth (10 points).
- Impact – considers the business’s contribution to social and environmental impact and alignment with UN SDGs (10 points).
- Motivation – evaluates the applicant’s drive and aspirations as presented in the pitch deck (10 points).
A minimum score of 30/50 is required to be considered for the program.
Required documents:
- Completed application form
- Pitch Deck (using the provided template, max 20 slides, 10MB, PDF or PPT format)
- CV (PDF or Word format, max 10MB)
Which Countries Are Eligible?
Africa
Where will the Award be Taken?
Online
How Many Awards?
30
What is the Benefit of the BIC Africa Online Acceleration 2025 Program?
The programme will also open the door for further opportunities and awards:
- A Certificate of recognition will be sent in an electronic format by EBN – BIC Africa project for those who successfully completed the 12-week course acceleration programme (attending at least 9 out of the 12 sessions).Â
- Remote one-to-one Mentoring sessions will be offered to high performing participants selected by the BIC Africa expert committee, who as such will get the chance to be matched with one or two European incubation experts, who will accompany their growth trajectory. Further details will be shared at the start of the programme.Â
- Other Business Awards (e.g. additional support, highlighted visibility on BIC Africa website, invitation to participate in a BIC Africa event etc.) will be available to high performing participants selected by the BIC Africa expert committee.Â
How Long Will the Award Last?
The program runs for 12 weeks from April to July 2025.
How to Apply:
- Fill in the application form with personal and business details.
- Prepare and upload a Pitch Deck (use the template: https://shorturl.at/CEHEK).
- Upload your CV (PDF or Word format, max 10MB).
Only applicants who complete all three components will be considered for selection.
Visit the official application webpage to begin.