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Develop your business idea and scale your social impact
Join the EPIC Costa Rica incubation program and validate your social venture providing solutions to poverty reduction challenges.
The EPIC Costa Rica incubation program
EPIC (End Poverty Innovation Challenge) is the flagship program for Social Ventures Foundation, a US-based foundation, that supports students in their journey of developing their social business. SVF and Bridge for Billions have now joined forces to develop ‘EPIC Costa Rica’ with one clear goal: to drive social and economic development in the country.
The EPIC Costa Rica incubation program will help you and your teammates to structure and validate your business idea or project so you can strengthen your social business. You will define and review your business model, your financial projections, your growth, etc. while receiving the support of a personalized mentor and an incubation team, who will accompany you throughout the program.
At the end of your experience, you will have an executive summary ready to present to potential investors or new co-founders for example, and you will also have total peace of mind that you are building a business validated by your potential customers.
What you will receive:
Step-by-step learning and development
Follow a structured model that provides you with discipline as you build your social business.
Personalized mentoring
Receive support from a personal mentor to ideate, challenge, and validate your project while you advance in key aspects that define your business and its potential.
Global entrepreneurship community
Be part of an international community with other social entrepreneurs and mentors with similar goals, to connect, learn and share experiences.
Methodology and structure
Develop new entrepreneurial skills with a methodology, which will help you structure your ideas and define the start of your social business project while making sure your solution fits the market.
Profitability and scalability
Receive support from a personal mentor to ideate, challenge, and validate your project while you advance in key aspects that define your business and its potential.
Flexibility and accessibility
Our program is fully online and 100% flexible. Work from wherever you want, choosing the time that best suits you to move forward.
Be part of the change and lead the future
Expand your network, connect with like-minded profiles and work with courageous people who are challenging some of the country's biggest challenges and opportunities.
Your participation requires that:
- You have an early-stage social venture with a concept developed or a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) recently launched.
- You are willing during the incubation program to allocate 7 hours a week (or a total of three 2 hour sessions scheduled with your team and one 1 hour session scheduled by your team with your mentor).
- You have a reliable internet connection and a computer/laptop that you can use regularly.
- You are fluent in English (all the program will take place in this language).
Send your application before
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DEADLINE: MAY 9TH, 2022
Timeline
Participate in the welcome session
May 12th, 2022 (10 am CR time)
We will invite you to participate in an information session to welcome you to the incubation program. In this session we will cover the role of program participants, the role of your mentor, the use of incubation platform that will help you work on your business, and much more!
Meet your mentor
From May 12th to May 19th, 2022
Your team will be paired with a volunteer mentor taking into account who could be the best fit for you and your project. This will be the person accompanying you during your incubation process.
The incubation program begins!
From May 20th to August 21st, 2022
- During the incubation program you will start covering the most important parts of your business (from refining the value proposition to generating a clear growth plan).
- Your team will work weekly with your personal mentor in one-on-one sessions to review the 8 business modules.
- You will finish the program developing a business plan and executive summary ready to present to investors, for example.
The best incubation methodology
Entrepreneurship is a chaotic process by nature. That’s why Bridge for Billions’ methodology is based on a structured, hands-on learning approach. Our incubation program is based on developing a business plan from scratch while being surrounded by a supportive community: mentors, fellow social entrepreneurs, and an incubation team.
Our 8 online business tools will allow you to experiment, research and document your ideas step by step so that at the end of the program you can download your own executive summary in PDF and above all, be confident that you are building a viable social business.
Check our FAQs
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 all complete the necessary business tools in 6-8 hours per week, including a one-hour video call with your mentor and participation in the workshops, this is the program for you. You can, of course, divide the time and work with your other teammates as you prefer.
How much does it cost to participate in the program?
Nothing! This is a free program funded by Social Ventures 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. However, our platform is also suitable for cell phones.
Also, we expect you and your team to have a stable and reliable internet connection both for your weekly review on the platform and to participate in the calls with your mentor via video call.
What will be the role of my mentor?
Your mentor will act as your guide throughout the program. Week after week, he or she will help you and your team validate your strategy and design your growth plan. Mentors support you within the platform and meet with you once a week (usually via video call) to validate your progress.
How can my teammates work with me on the project?
Our program is made to collaborate with your entire team. Please note that only one of the team members should send the application. Once you have been accepted, you can easily invite your teammates to join your project and seamlessly collaborate on its development.
In the platform, you can work at the same time as your teammates, however, our platform does not allow live collaboration as with Google Docs (you will only see a teammate’s edits after refreshing the page and you must be careful not to “override” each other’s work).
I'm worried about my intellectual property if I apply, should I be worried about this?
We hope our reputation speaks for itself in this matter! We treat your application and program data as confidential information. They are protected by our Terms and Conditions and our Privacy Policy, and your mentor will also sign a Mentoring Agreement that includes a confidentiality clause.
Can’t find your question here?
Contact Sebastián, Incubation Manager of the program to solve all your doubts.
