PACIFIC GREENPRENEURS ACCELERATOR PROGRAM
The Pacific Greenpreneurs Accelerator program aims to support Incubator graduates and other high-potential innovative growth-stage green enterprises develop towards investment-readiness, ultimately contributing towards the direct creation of sustainable green jobs and the improved livelihoods of Pacific Islanders, especially women, youth and people with disabilities.
The Accelerator program is a 6-month program providing links with investors, individualized technical assistance support, mentoring, investor pitch events, networking and learning opportunities and will also offer zero-interest repayable grants to selected enterprises in amounts of between USD$ 10,000 - $50,000.
Pacific Greenpreneurs 2022 Accelerator Info Session (recording)
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Masterclass Training – Regional masterclass webinars will be conducted on common areas of business needs, such as financial modelling, proposal writing, business pitching and more.
Mentorship Program – Greenpreneurs Accelerator participants will have access to a pool of experienced mentors who will act as a ‘sounding board’ and support to guide them through the process of building out their business pitches, investor profiles and funding proposals.
Networking & investor linkages – Greenpreneurs Accelerator participants will have the opportunity to build relationships and identify areas of collaboration with investment executives from national and international investment institutions, including pitching to investors.
Repayable grants funding scheme – During the program, participating Greenpreneurs will have the opportunity to apply for repayable grant funding of between US$ 10,000 and a maximum of US$ 50,000 in the form of interest-free repayable grants to cover operation and/or capital expenses. Disbursed capital will be junior to other investments/loans thus serving as first-loss buffers to leverage additional investments from private sector investors, development finance institutions and domestic financial institutions.
The tiers of repayable grants that may be awarded are:
● Between US$ 10,000 - $30,000 for businesses with annual revenue of minimum US $6,000
● Between US$ 30,001 - $50,000 for businesses with annual revenue of minimum US $20,000
The repayable grant amount will also be determined based on GGGI’s prioritization matrix, management arrangements in place for the project and experience of applicants.
Who are we looking for?
· You are part of a team or an individual entrepreneur with a growth-stage green enterprise.
· You aim to create positive environmental and/or social impact in your community or country through your product offerings, operations, or processes, while creating a profit.
· You are dedicated and eager to learn, and passionate about your cause.
· You are in a growth stage: you will typically be growing your staff and have on-going and growing sales (revenue/turnover).
· Your business is innovative & unique.
· You want to learn, connect, and share with others: you are eager to network with like-minded green entrepreneurs from across the region.
· You have sufficient access to internet and a computer to enable participation in the online components of the program.
· You are committed to completing a 6-month program of training, technical assistance, mentoring & investor pitching beginning in 2023.
· You are comfortable with written & spoken English language.
Our Commitment to Social Inclusion
Beyond our goals to strengthen the capacity and empower green entrepreneurs and their businesses, create opportunities for more sustainable, green jobs in the Pacific, and connect entrepreneurs to an ecosystem of business development support, we are equally committed to the prioritization of women entrepreneurs and green job creation for women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
Eligibility Criteria
The Accelerator program will support applications from 2 streams:
● Stream 1: Promising green enterprises who have graduated (or are current Greenpreneurs expecting to graduate in 2022 ) from the Pacific Greenpreneurs Incubator program. This stream has simplified eligibility requirements.
● Stream 2: Targeting growth-stage green enterprises that aim to address social and/or environmental issues through the services and products they deliver with high green job creation potential.
The following criteria must be met for applications to be assessed for the Pacific Greenpreneurs Accelerator program. Please ensure that you meet the criteria listed for the relevant stream you are applying for before completing the relevant application form.
If you are a graduate of the Pacific Greenpreneurs Incubator program 2021 or current 2022 participant or are a graduate of accepted accelerator programs, have at least 2 years of operations and minimum average turnover (sales revenue) of USD 6,000 per year, you are eligible to apply for Stream 1: Early-stage green enterprises.
If you are a green enterprise with at last 3 years of operations, a minimum average turnover (sales revenue) of USD 20,000 per year and can demonstrate your business is growing, you are eligible to apply for Stream 2: Growth-stage enterprises.
Assessment Criteria & Selection
The Pacific Greenpreneurs Accelerator program is focused on supporting green enterprises to grow, generating positive environmental and social impact.
Applicants for this program will be assessed against the following broad criteria as demonstrated through submitted applications. Please keep these criteria in mind as you complete your application.
The applications will first be screened against the Eligibility Criteria.
Successful applications will then be scored and ranked according to the Assessment Criteria, from which the top enterprises will be selected.
Further information
Interest in applying? For further details and information on the application process, please refer to the Accelerator Application Guidelines and Accelerator Frequently Asked Questions.