Business Incubation Program
The Business Incubation Program is a cutting-edge business incubator of the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) with the aim of providing support to transformative entrepreneurs who have innovative solutions and businesses that aid in the mitigation or adaptation of climate change.
The School focuses on five key economic sectors - energy efficiency & renewable energy; solar power; climate smart agriculture; domestic waste management; water management and purification
In addition, the School also provides designed support to larger SMEs who are rethinking their processes and operations in a bid to be more sustainable.
“GCIC is a disruptive force leading the efforts to raise the next generation of ethical business leaders with the courage to transform Ghana, even as they develop and grow businesses that drive economic growth, and which mitigate against environmental disruption and climate change.”
Duration
The incubation is for a period of 9 months.
Award
At the end of the incubation, a graduation ceremony is held, and entrepreneurs are awarded a certificate of participation.
Size of Cohort
GCIC’s School of Sustainable Entrepreneurship is very competitive, and typically accommodates not more than 25 entrepreneurs for each cohort
Incubator Overview
The incubator is a blend of in-house classes and practical field work aimed at developing and enhancing entrepreneurship professionalism, building insight on the practicalities of private enterprise, as required to ensure entrepreneurs have what it takes to go the long-haul with their business
The School of Sustainable Entrepreneurship’s expansive program interventions include:
- “High-Value Mini MBA” programs offered and specially curated in partnership with Coursera to develop business acumen.
- Portfolio management
- Market growth and Access Intelligence briefs.
- Financial & technical Grants
- Investor readiness program
- Climate smart technology and product development
- Environmental and social safeguards, Due Diligence and Audits
The School of Sustainable Entrepreneurship through its interventions challenges the mindset of its entrepreneurs, cultivating and strengthening their focus on sustainable commercial success, but also their contribution to long-term implications of their activity on Ghana, Africa, and the world.
Incubation Timelines
Application Process
The application process into GCIC’s Business Incubation Program involves 5 key stages. After each stage, qualifying entrepreneurs progress to the next stage until the final cohort is accepted and inducted. The stages are:
- Expression of Interest: assesses whether the entrepreneur and the venture aligns with GCIC’s focus areas
- Detailed Application: entrepreneurs complete a detailed application form that assesses their business viability, potential impact, and team.
- Forum : an open forum with GCIC's team members to set expectations and align on objectives
- Presentation: Entrepreneur participates in a live presentation to a panel to demonstrate the capability and readiness of the business for incubation
- Due-diligence: The last stage of the application involves a team from GCIC physically visiting the business site to validate their application and information provided throughout the application process.