PROGRAM Partners
The Sustainable forest trade Incubation Program
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and Bridge for Billions, joined forces to create an incubation program that will support up to 50 early-stage enterprises from Thailand with the potential to promote sustainable timber trade in the region.
The Sustainable Forest Trade Incubation Program has been created to support the emergence of commercially-viable, community-inclusive and climate-resilient businesses that support the emergence of commercially-viable, community-inclusive, and climate-resilient businesses focused on sustainable forest trade. The program seeks to attract projects that show robust revenue generation perspectives and ambition to reach a critical mass. We aim to build a diverse and attractive cohort demonstrating commercial potential and wide adoption of nature-positive business models.
This program is part of the UN-REDD Lower Mekong Initiative on Sustainable Forest Trade.
Be part of the responsible development IN Thailand BY MENTORING ENTREPRENEURS DEVELOPING BUSINESSES THAT WILL PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE WOOD TRADE
Why participate?
Make an impact
Connect with the entrepreneur behind the project you are most interested in and be part of the responsible development by supporting early-stage ventures in their journey to creating a positive environmental, economic and social impact across Thailand.
Learn to mentor as you go
As a volunteer mentor, you'll be provided with a clear structure and regular check-ins. Our program blends robust online content with weekly mentorship sessions between you and your mentee to truly create successful companies.
Learn more about our methodology here >
Develop your skills
Develop your hard and soft skills to become a great mentor. Past participants report increasing their listening, leadership, coaching abilities, critical thinking as well as business skills.
Anytime, anywhere
Our program is 100% online and allows you to have a flexible schedule. Collaborate from anywhere at any time through our online platform. No barriers, limits, or excuses: just internet connection.
Get a certificate
Upon completing the 4 months of mentoring, you will earn a certificate recognizing all the skills you've developed on the way and the meaningful impact you've had.
Become part of our community
Be part of a community of like-minded earth champions building solutions to create sustainable forest trading practices Keep in touch with other mentors like you supporting entrepreneurs worldwide!
This program is perfect for you if:
- You are passionate about entrepreneurship and helping entrepreneurs succeed especially towards responsible operation.
- You have at least +5 years of professional or post-academic experience in a relevant field, background or interest in business, innovation, finance and/or either in a related business or activities dedicated to sustainable forest trade sectors).
- You are looking to develop your entrepreneurial mentoring skills on topics such as competitive analysis, business model creation, financial projections, marketing plan, etc.
- You are looking to have a tangible impact on job creation and economic development in Thailand as well as social and environmental sustainability.
- Speak fluently Thai and adequate English.
- Reliable internet connection and access to a computer/laptop that you can use regularly.
- Availability to commit for the whole duration of the program. Approximately 2 hours per week over 4 months (this includes the time you will need to dedicate to meet with your mentee, review their work on the platform, and attend the different online sessions).
Send your application before
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Submit your application
Tell us about yourself, your experience and profile. The more details you can give us, the better.
Selection process and training
If you are one of the selected mentors, you will be invited to participate in a training session to welcome you to the incubation program. In this space, we will cover your role as a mentor, the use of the online incubation platform, and solve any questions you might have.
Pair up with a project
Take part in our matching process! You will have the opportunity to meet online with different entrepreneurs. Once you have met several entrepreneurs, both you and them will send us your rankings in order to let us know who you want to work with. After that, we will make the best mentor-mentee pairs.
Start the program!
- Follow the online incubation experience with the weekly 1.5h-2h mentoring sessions, working with your mentee on the platform business modules tools and follow our a step-by-step methodology.
- You will have 4 months to support your entrepreneur to complete the incubation cycle and support them to build a commercially-viable, community-inclusive and climate resilient business.
- You will also be invited to join the monthly cohort meetings, where you will be able to meet other mentors as well as share learnings and challenges.
- You will be accompanied during the whole program. Our incubation team will be available at all times for any questions you may have during your mentorship process.
Do you want to know more?
What is the program about?
The Sustainable Forest Trade Incubation Program is a business support program for enterprises that put sustainable forest trading practises at the heart of their business model and operations.
Its main goal is the promotion of sustainable forestry, leading to improved livelihoods, reduced poverty and uplifting communities.
What is the time commitment to the program?
During the duration of the program, you will have to meet once a week with your entrepreneur for 1 hour mentoring meetings. In addition to that, we recommend always dedicating at least 30 extra minutes to review and validate their progress on the platform, and going to the meetings with prior preparation.
What technology will I need for the program?
We advise you to have a laptop or desktop computer and preferably one of these browsers: Google Chrome, Safari and Mozilla Firefox. However, our platform is also suitable for cell phones and tablets.
Also, we expect you to have a stable and reliable internet connection both for your weekly review on the platform and to participate in the calls with your mentee via video call.
How will I find a good project to mentor?
To facilitate the matching process between mentors and mentees, or as we call it “matching”, we have created the process of “organic matching”.
You will have the opportunity to meet the different participating projects, invite them to a “Virtual Coffee” to get to know the ideas in detail and then both parties can decide if they want to work together or not. This way we make sure that we create solid and lasting mentoring relationships.
What is the role of a mentor?
A mentor is the person guiding the entrepreneurs throughout the program — someone who understands the intricacies of their businesses. Week after week, you will help your mentee with validating the strategy and designing a growth plan.
As a mentor, you will offer your support using Bridge for Billions’ online incubation platform and meet with your entrepreneur once a week outside the platform (typically using video calls).
Will I receive any remuneration?
All mentors in this program are volunteers. All mentors who complete the program will receive a Mentoring Certificate.
Can I mentor more than one project?
Yes, however, we ask that you be realistic with your time commitment. We don’t want anyone to over-commit or set expectations that they will not be able to meet due to lack of time.
What would mentoring this program do for me?
As a mentor in the program, you will have a positive impact on the life of a Thai entrepreneur and the economy and job creation of the country. You will meet and connect with innovative ideas and develop your mentoring skills, gaining exposure to the latest innovation and entrepreneurship methodologies while helping a start-up grow.
Can’t find your question here?
Connect with our program managers
Alexandra Martins
Bridge for Billions Program Manager for the Sustainable Forest Trade Incubation Program.
The Institute of Agro-Based Industries
The Institute of Agro-Based Industries or IAI is an institution under The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) that promotes and supports entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector to connect to the industry covering the whole country.
