Women in WASH for Entrepreneurs

Supporting women entrepreneurs to develop sustainable solutions to WASH Challenges in developing countries

The "Women Innovators in WASH" is an incubation program aiming to support women entrepreneurs in Africa and Latin America with an innovative business project in the water, sanitation and hygiene sectors.

Created by

SUPPORTING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS in africa and latin america

The Women Innovators in WASH Incubation Program’s overall goal is to sustainably improve access to safe and affordable Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) products and services for communities living in Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Tanzania, South Africa as well as Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia.

We will support 50 women-led startups in the target countries with high-growth potential businesses in any of the WASH sectors and position them to scale their impact and reach more underserved communities by the end of the program.

As a selected entrepreneur, you will benefit from a 4-month incubation and business mentoring program to further develop the viability of your venture, take part in sessions led by experts in the WASH sector, and pitch your business in front of a high-level jury for a chance to win a seed grant for your business.

Throughout the program, you will create your own executive summary business plan to present to potential investors or new co-founders while receiving the necessary support from a personalized mentor, and having the certainty that you are building a business validated by your potential clients.

Why participate?

Methodology and structure

You will follow our step-by-step methodology, working directly on your business and making the most important decisions. You will also be able to visualize your financial projections, growth, and impact plan for the next years.

Find your Mentor

You’ll be partnered with a professional to personally guide you in weekly mentoring sessions so that your project grows in the right direction.

Seed funding opportunities

Pitch your business in front of a top-level jury and win a seed capital prize, granted to the finalists of our final Demo Day event ($15K in total divided for the top 4 entrepreneurs: $5K each for the first two and $2.5K each for the other two).

Experience Active Learning

Our platform offers a learn-by-doing approach inspired by MIT's Disciplined Entrepreneurship and you'll get to generate a business plan in PDF.

Anytime, Anywhere

Collaborate from anywhere at any time through our online platform; no barriers, limits, or excuses; just an internet connection.

Global Network

Become a part of a supportive community of founders from 89 countries that share resources and harness challenges together. So far, 3000+ entrepreneurs from 126 countries have gone through our programs!

We are looking for early-stage women-led ventures across the following value chains

WASH is an acronym that stands for "water, sanitation, and hygiene". Together, we want to support you to develop and scale your innovative solutions to any of the following WASH challenges:

(Safe) Water

Type of innovations may include but are not limited to:

Household/ community water treatment and safe water storage
Innovative water treatment and water filtration in homes and emergency contexts
Products for testing water quality
Provision of safe water

Sanitation

Type of innovations may include but are not limited to:

Lightning and amenities for safer latrines
Fecal sludge treatment
Innovative fecal sludge disposal

Hygiene

Type of innovations may include but are not limited to:

Innovative handwashing solutions for difficult contexts
Affordable soap and soap alternatives
Affordable or sustainable menstrual hygiene solutions

This program is perfect for you if

You are or identify as a woman and your business is women-led (or at least 50% of the founding team is female).
You are based in and your venture impacts Africa (Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Tanzania, South Africa) or Latin America (Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia).
You have an early-stage innovation-based business (you have a business concept developed or an MVP recently launched) and your business is either a for-profit or a social enterprise.
You can dedicate at least 6-8 hours per week during the duration of the program (4 months) to work on the platform and have online meetings with your mentor.
You have access to a computer or tablet and a reliable and stable internet connection, as all the program will be online.
You speak fluent English (keep in mind the whole program and all activities related will be in this language).

Apply before the date!

Days

Hours

Minutes

October 30th, 2022

You can learn more about the program by attending one of our info sessions.

Timeline

Apply to the program

Until October 30th, 2022

Tell us more about you and your start-up by applying below. Our team will assess your selection into the program.

Apply now >

Announcement of selected candidates

November 9th, 2022

We will review all the applications and we will select up to 50 start-ups to participate in the Women Innovators in WASH.

Mentors and Entrepreneurs Matching

December 2nd, 2022

Take part in our matching process! You will have the opportunity to meet online with volunteer mentors. Once you have met several of them, both you and the mentors will submit your rankings in order to let us know who you think will be the best fit for your project's needs. Based on the rankings, we will make the best mentor-mentee pairs.

Attend to the onboarding session

December 8th, 2022

If selected, you will be invited to an onboarding welcome call to the program where you will learn the role of your mentor, how to choose your mentor, use the incubation platform, its methodology and much more!

The program starts!

From December 11th, 2022 until May 31st 2023

Welcome! Now you are ready to begin a 6-month incubation period to continue developing your business.

Follow our online curriculum with 8 modules to build a robust value proposition and business strategy for your venture.
Meet weekly with your personal mentor on one-to-one online sessions to get a fresh perspective and make sure you're in the right direction.
Attend online group meetings to meet the rest of the program's entrepreneurs and work on the soft and business skills needed to grow as an entrepreneur.
Join the different technical sessions with experts on the WASH sectors.
Attend our final Demo Day! You will be able to pitch your business in front of a top-level jury and win a seed capital prize, granted to the three finalists of our final Demo Day event ($15K in total divided as follows: $7K for the first, $5K for the second, and $3K for the third).

the best methodology for your startup

This program offers a step-by-step platform experience that will allow you to validate your business model. The platform has 8 different modules where you will refine your value proposition and finish the program with an executive summary of your venture.

Thanks to Bridge for Billions’ methodology and platform you will test your business idea, while your mentor provides personalized support during the mentoring sessions, challenging your assumptions and offering a fresh perspective.

Module 1

Value Proposition

Make sure you define your true value. Your Value Proposition is the #1 thing that explains why people would be interested in your offer. It’s a promise that clearly communicates the benefits of your product or service

Get to the root of the problems you’re trying to solve
Identify and group your customers into segments
Do customer discovery interviews and research
Estimate your market size and build a market opportunity graph
Write concrete value proposition statements

Module 2

Competition Map

Understanding your competitors is essential to finding your spot in the market. Think you don’t have much competition? Think again! Take on new perspectives and build a Competition Map that will clearly show where you stand.

Define the attributes that you and other solutions compete on
Identify competitors you didn’t know you had
See how you stand out among the crowd
Discover where you can improve your offering

Module 3

Stakeholder Map

Building a company 100% by yourself is almost impossible. Every day you’ll decide: should I do it myself? Delegate? Outsource? Building relationships with your partners, supporters, suppliers and, of course, a great team is key.

Identify all different types of partners and collaborators
Understand the possible value exchange you can have with each one
Decide what you should do in-house and what you should let others do
Explore your distribution channel options and choose the best ones
Create a map of the ecosystem of partners around your business

Módulo 4

Business Model & Marketing

How do you plan to sustain your business and capture your customers’ attention? We’ll help you understand what business model is right for you and start planning your marketing activities.

Learn about different business models
See how your business model could (or should) differ per customer segment
Use design thinking to choose the best one(s) for you
Understand the basics of a marketing funnel and create your own
Estimate your cost to acquire a customer

Módulo 5

Pricing & Business Viability

Are you leaving money on the table by being too shy with prices, or overcharging and losing business opportunities? We’ll help you figure it out by setting your first price point and determining a pricing strategy.

Learn about different pricing strategies and choose yours
Compare your competitors’ price points and strategies
Do customer discovery to understand their willingness to pay
Learn and use a pricing methodology to determine a price point
Estimate your customers’ lifetime value

Módulo 6

Financial Projections

We make it easy even if you’re allergic to numbers. Get a step-by-step handle on all of your financial needs. Month by month, year by year, you’ll be able to estimate your expenses and revenue as you start and build your company.

Determine the funds you’ll need to launch
Project the expenses you’ll have in your first years of operation
Plan for the team you’ll need and their salaries as you grow
Understand the sales targets you’ll need to reach
Account for what it costs you to produce your product or service

Módulo 7

Impact Plan

Changing the world we live in? Building an Impact Plan will help you clarify what system you’re a part of and how you’re trying to influence it. You will also measure the impact you’re actually having on your customers, certain beneficiaries, your sector, or even the world.

Map the system you work within and the elements that govern it
Show how you want to change what’s happening within it
Craft your mission and vision statements
Identify if you are working on any of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
Define how you will measure your impact and track results

Módulo 8

Growth Plan

Once you start your business, you’ll have to constantly adjust priorities to make sure you’re spending your time on the right things. Having solid, measurable objectives is a great way to align with your team and stay on track.

Put your long term goals in writing and draft a plan to reach them
Identify your company’s values
Determine the KPIs you’ll track overtime (Key Performance Indicators)
Set milestones to help you reach your goals
Identify and plan for future risks

Don't forget!

Now you have a go-to-market plan and have the skills needed to take on any challenge!

Make sure to share and grow with The Community, use the space to seek advice, ask for help and connect with other like-minded entrepreneurs.

Questions about the program?

How much time is needed to participate in the program?

The more time you’re able to put in, the better the results. The whole program including application phase and matching will last 6 months. However keep in mind the mentoring incubation program will have a duration of 4 months.

During incubation, we’ve structured the program so that you are able to complete all activities within 6-8 hours per week (this includes an hour-long video call with your mentor and the work you will need to do in the platform). Take into consideration the different online sessions and workshops planned specifically for this program, as this will require more time depending on the week.

In general, if you can’t commit to at least 6 hours per week for 4 months, this may not be the program for you.

For those applicants that have a business partner, you can divide the work! If you have doubts about this topic go to the question: Can my teammate work with me on the project?

How much does it cost to participate in the program?

Nothing! This is a free program funded by Bridge for Billions and Grundfos Foundation.

What technology do I need for the program?

We advise you to have a laptop or desktop computer and preferably one of these browsers: Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox. Even though we recommend connecting from a desktop or laptop, our platform is also suitable for cell phones.

Also, we expect you to have a stable and reliable internet connection for your work on the platform and to participate in the calls with your mentor and the rest of the program sessions.

How will I choose my mentor?

Once accepted into the program, you’ll enter the Matching Phase, this is the moment where you will be able to meet with your future mentor.

During that time, basic information about your project will be accessible to our community of mentors, who will invite you to initial meetings so you can get to know each other. You can attend as many meetings as you want, but eventually you’ll have to choose your preferred mentor.

If you have specific doubts about our your intellectual property go to the question: I’m concerned about my intellectual property if I apply. Should I be worried about this?

What is the role of a mentor?

Your mentor is your guide throughout the program — someone who understands the intricacies of your business. Week after week, your mentor will help you validate your strategy and design your growth plan. Mentors support you within the platform and meet with you once a week outside the platform (typically using video calls).

Can my teammate work with me on the project?

Yes! If you are working with business partners, you can all participate in the program. Only one representative from your team should apply, but if selected you can easily invite your teammates to join your project later on.

I’m concerned about my intellectual property if I apply. Should I be worried about this?

Protecting your intellectual property is extremely important to us. Your application and program data are confidential. Both you and your intellectual property are protected by our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy. Your mentor will also sign a Mentorship Agreement that includes a confidentiality clause.

Can’t find your question here?

Contact Mahmoud, Incubation Manager of the program Women Innovators in WASH if you have any questions.

This program has been built by

For more information, please visit our website