EDP Hope Fund Incubator for Entrepreneurs 2025

days to apply

Turn Your Idea into a Scalable Business with the EDP Hope Fund Incubation Program

Are you a social entrepreneur with a vision but need the right tools to bring it to life?

The EDP Hope Fund Incubation Program is here to help you validate, structure, and grow your early-stage venture. Through a hands-on methodology, expert mentorship, and a global community, you’ll gain everything you need to transform your idea into a sustainable and investment-ready business.

Free program

Apply before:

Days

Hours

Min.

Applications open until 30 March

Online

Open for Latin America, Spain and Portugal

5 months

Why participate?

A program designed to unleash the potential of your project or idea!

Dynamic Community

Build a professional network of entrepreneurs, mentors, and group experts. Here, you'll learn, share, and grow together.

Mentorship

Receive personalized mentorship from a team of professionals who will offer feedback and guidance during the program. Their expertise will be great for validating ideas, structuring processes and keeping your progress accountable.

Pathway to Investment

Selected projects may also have the opportunity to advance to the Investment Readiness Program, preparing them to secure future investment.

Expand Your Network

Connect and collaborate with like-minded social entrepreneurs, as well as our global network of professionals. We promise these valuable connections will extend beyond the program, serving as support for your growth.

About the program

The EDP Hope Fund Incubation Program is a structured, online incubation journey that will help you validate your business idea, refine your value proposition, and build a strong foundation for growth.

We believe that impactful innovation starts with strong, well-structured businesses. That’s why we offer:

At the end of this program, you will have a clear business model, financial plan, and growth strategy, giving you confidence and credibility when approaching potential investors or partners. If your project shows strong potential, you may have the opportunity to transition into our Investment Program for further support and funding from EDP.

What will you learn during the program?

Discover how to make your business unique, and how to attract more customers.

Learn how to calculate your costs and price points, to drive your profits and growth.

Master the best way to communicate and promote your business.

Acquire skills to calculate your business finances for the next 3 years, so you can make more informed decisions.

Uncover how your business can positively impact your community, and attract collaborators and investors.

Strategize to expand your business, scale your operations, and attract new customers.

This program is perfect for you if...

Your project creates social impact in at least one of the following areas: Energy, Environment, Biodiversity, or Green Job Creation.
You have a business project in its early stages of development.
Whether you have a business idea or an MVP and want to validate it with your potential clients, or you are already selling your product or service but have not found a sustainable model.
You have a project that meets a need of your community or generates a positive impact in your environment.
You can dedicate a minimum of 6-8 hours per week throughout the entire program.
You have access to a computer and a stable internet connection.
You are committed to finishing the program within the specified time.

Measuring and Strengthening the Impact of your Project

As a social entrepreneur, your project is already designed to create positive change. Instead of questioning whether it has a social impact, the key is to understand and measure how it transforms communities and systems.

When assessing your impact, consider:

The Problem: What specific challenge are you addressing, and who benefits from your solution?
The Change: What tangible improvements will your project bring to communities or systems?
Sustainability: How will you ensure that your impact lasts beyond the program?
Measurement: What indicators will help you track progress and demonstrate results?

The EDP Hope Fund Incubator is here to support you in scaling your impact, connecting with a global network of changemakers, and refining your strategy. Apply now to strengthen your approach and maximize your impact.

How to apply to the program?

Create your profile

1

Start by clicking on the “Apply now” button.

Fill in your personal information to set up an account on our platform.

Remember your email and password for future access.

2

Complete all sections

Complete all sections of the application, thoroughly filling out each answer. Once completed, all the checkmarks at the top will turn blue, indicating that you’re ready to submit.

Note: An asterisk “*” next to the question indicates that the field is required.

Submit your application and await further news

3

Submit your application and await further news: We recommend that you review your application in detail one last time. If you’re good to go, click “Submit” in the lower right corner.

Make sure to submit your application by 30 March 2025.

Our team will be in touch with a notification about the status of your application.

Apply before:

Days

Hours

Minutes

Submit your application before 30 March

Important dates

Applications

Until 30 March

Submit your application to apply for the program.
Tell us more about yourself and your entrepreneurship by submitting your application below. Our team will evaluate all the applications from entrepreneurs who apply for the program.

Confirmation of selected profiles

April 4th

We will review the completed applications through a selection process and select 60 participants for this first edition of the program. Once you are selected, you must immediately accept your participation.

Participate in the welcome session

April 7th

We will invite you to participate in an informative welcome session for the incubation program. In this session, we will cover the role of program participants, the use of incubation tools that will help you work on your business, and more.

Choose your mentor

Second week of April

Participate in our matching process! You will have the opportunity to meet with volunteers from our Community who you believe will best fit with you and your project. Once you have met several mentors, both you and they will send your preferences to let us know who you want to work with and we will make the best teams.

Start the incubation program

April 22nd - August 10th

Begin the online incubation experience with mentorship sessions, work tools, and structured development. You will have 4 months to complete the incubation cycle and develop your validated business plan.

Pitch your business

Beginning of September

You’ll have the possibility to attend a pitch training and practice round to be prepared for the final Pitch Day where we’ll select some finalists that will have the opportunity to participate in the Investment Track and potentially get funds.

FAQs about the program

How much time is needed to participate in the program?

The more time you are able to dedicate, the better the results will be. We have structured the program so that you can complete all the activities in 6-8 hours per week, including a one-hour video call with your mentor and participation in workshops. This is your program. Also, remember that you will have to commit to dedicating at least 6 hours per week during the duration of the program (4 months) and that there will also be in-person sessions you will have to attend (we will take into account working hours to make it as easy as possible for you).

How much does it cost to participate in the program?

Nothing! This is a free program funded by EDP.

What technology do I need for the program?

We recommend having a laptop or desktop computer and preferably one of these browsers: Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox. However, our platform is also mobile-friendly.

Also, we expect you to have a stable and reliable internet connection both for your weekly review on the platform and for participating in video calls with your entrepreneur.

Can my partner or team member work with me on the project?

Sure! Our program is designed to collaborate with your entire team. You can easily invite your team members to join your project and collaborate seamlessly on its development. You can work alongside a team member, but keep in mind that our platform does not allow live collaboration like with Google Docs (you will only see a team member’s edits after refreshing the page and you need to be careful not to “overwrite” each other’s inputs).

I am worried about my intellectual property if I apply. Should I worry about this?

We hope our reputation speaks for itself on this issue! We treat your application and program data as confidential information. They are protected by our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy, and your mentor will also sign a Mentorship Agreement that includes a confidentiality clause.

What will be the role of my mentor?

Your mentor will act as your guide throughout the program. Week after week, they will help you validate your strategy and design your growth plan. Mentors support you within the platform and meet with you once a week (usually through video calls) to validate your progress.

What is the Investment Track? Can I also participate in that one?

EDP Hope Fund has two tracks to support entrepreneurs who are driving solutions for a more sustainable and equitable world. By finishing the Incubation Track you’ll be able to get selected and win a spot to our Investment Track, where you’ll be trained in Investment, Impact and Financial aspects to potentially receive funds.

Do you have a question that we haven't answered yet?

Contact Stephanie Esprester, Incubation Manager of the EDP Hope Fund Incubator to answer all your questions.

She’ll be happy to hear from you!

This program has been built by

For more information, please visit our website