BRIDDHI SIE 2023 for Mentors

Empower Bangladeshi entrepreneurs with your expertise. Become a mentor today!

Together let's support Bangladeshi entrepreneurs who are developing a business project to promote social innovation and economic growth in the country.

Scouting partner:

Program description

Biniyog Briddhi (“B-Briddhi”) is a multi-year programme that runs since 2020 and is dedicated to supporting a thriving ecosystem where impact enterprises of Bangladesh can grow and scale their impact. Set up as a public-private development partnership (PPDP) between the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh, Roots of Impact, and LightCastle Partners, B-Briddhi strives to improve the financial, social and environmental performance of impact enterprises by helping them to master investment readiness and impact management and get ready to access innovative finance to scale.

Our incubation program will help you structure and validate your business idea or project. At the same time, you will receive the support of a personalized mentor and an incubation team, who will accompany you throughout the program. At the end of the program, you will not only have a business plan to present to potential investors, but you will have total peace of mind that you are building a business validated by your potential clients.

Why participate?

Mentor the project you are passionate about

Connect with the entrepreneur behind the project that interests you the most.

Learn to mentor while you do it

Our active learning model facilitates the role of the mentor by providing a clear structure and resources explained in a simple and practical way.

Training

As a mentor, you will receive training and the same tools as entrepreneurs, and you will put into practice skills such as active listening and effective communication.

Where and when you want

Support your project from anywhere in the world, at a time that suits you. Our program is 100% online.

Grow personally and professionally

Develop your leadership and coaching skills while learning all about innovation.

Create a more inclusive and efficient society

Guide entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs who are solving the problems that really matter.

Become the mentor you also had

Think of the mentors that have passed through your life, become that for someone who needs it.

Be part of a community

Join a group of purpose-driven professionals and connect with male and female mentors from all industries.

This program is perfect for you if:

You are passionate about entrepreneurship and helping entrepreneurs succeed especially towards responsible operation.
You have professional experience in a relevant field, background or interest in business, innovation, finance and/or either in a related business or activities or have recently launched your own venture.
You are looking to have a tangible impact on job creation and economic development in Bangladesh as well as support entrepreneurs´ growth.
You are a Bangladeshi national, living in Bangladesh or abroad.
You have reliable internet connection and access to a computer/laptop that you can use regularly.
You have availability to commit for 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).

Over the last 3 years, we have supported 54 projects. They received mentorship from experts, attended community events and had the opportunity to attend workshops with experienced community leaders.

Entrepreneurs said they will continue their journey.

0 %

Of the entrepreneurs said the program has been useful, important or critical for their business.

0 %

Were social impact projects.

0 %

Of the entrepreneurs will keep in touch with their mentors after the program.

0 %

What will I learn during this program?

Learn how to manage finances, develop a marketing strategy and create a solid business plan.

Value proposition

Define how your product or service is different and valuable to your customers.

Competition Map

Make your product or service stand out from your competition when selling to the same customers.

Stakeholder map

Confidently identify the individuals or groups that have a strong interest or involvement in your project.

Business model & marketing

Promote your products effectively and sell more at the right price.

Pricing & Business Availability

Ensure that your business stays profitable over time.

Financial Projections

Plan the financial stability and money management for the next 3 years of your business.

Impact Plan

Design how your business will contribute to your sector and region and set how you'll measure it.

Growth Plan

Set growth goals and priorities and monitor your advancements in achieving these as time passes.

Apply before the date!

November 10th

Timeline

Apply to the program

From October 2nd to November 10th

Tell us more about you and your professional experience by applying below. Our team will assess your selection into the program.

Apply now >

Announcement of selected mentors

November 17th

We will review all the applications and we will select around 20 mentors to accompany the 10 start-ups to participate in the VISA Asia Pacific program.

Attend the onboarding session

November 29th and 30th

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

Choose the project you want to mentor

From November 30th to December 15th

Take part in our matching process! You will have the opportunity to meet online with different projects. Once you have met several of them, both you and the entrepreneurs will submit your rankings in order to let us know who you want to work with. Based on the rankings, we will make the best mentor-mentee pairs.

The program starts!

From January 8th to April 26th

You will work weekly with your mentee in one-on-one mentoring sessions to review their work on the 8 business modules on the platform.
You will guide them while they cover the most important parts of their business (from refining the value proposition to generating a clear growth plan).
You will meet the other mentors in our monthly sessions, so you can share learnings, challenges, and network.

The platform at a glance

Entrepreneurship is a chaotic process by nature. Therefore, the Bridge for Billions methodology is based on a practical and structured learning approach. The incubation program is based on the development of a business plan from scratch while the entrepreneur surrounds himself with a supportive community: mentors like you, other entrepreneurs and our incubation team. The 8 online business tools allow entrepreneurs to experiment, investigate and document their ideas step by step so that at the end of the program they can download their own business plan in PDF and above all, have the confidence that they are building a viable business.

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?

What is the commitment required?

Mentors can always choose when to join a program call. Once you commit the time required is approximately 1.5 hours per week (1h of mentoring session and minimum 30 minutes of review of the work on the platform) for the duration of the incubation program (the average time of our programs is 4 months, although there are some exceptions).

Am I paid as a mentor?

All of the mentors for the program are volunteers.

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. However, our platform is also suitable for cell phones.

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 entrepreneur via video call.

How will I work and communicate with my entrepreneur?

As a mentor, you will work with your entrepreneurs on the platform. You’ll be able to mark up their business plans using text-based comments and will have access to video chats within the platform so you can talk to them.

What will be my role as a mentor?

As a mentor, you’ll have a positive impact on someone’s life. You’ll meet and connect with entrepreneurs and develop your mentoring skills, exposing yourself to the latest innovation and entrepreneurship methodologies while helping a startup business grow.

You will guide your entrepreneur throughout the Incubation Program using the online modules as your guide. You’ll help your mentee validate their strategies throughout the program and support them through virtual collaboration once a week, on the platform and over video chat.

Can’t find your question here?

Contact Paola Rosenberg, Incubation Manager of the program the if you have any question.

For more information, please visit our website