JOIN the KEPSA SME ACCELERATOR PROGRAM

INVITATION TO APPLY FOR CONSIDERATION TO JOIN THE KEPSA SME ACCELERATOR PROGRAM – COHORT 1, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE EMBASSY OF IRELAND

The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) with support from the Embassy of Ireland in Kenya is launching an SME accelerator program. This program is designed to support SMEs to increase the value of their businesses. It will involve providing intensive training and mentorship to bolster the SME’s current strategy and accelerate its growth or to help the SMEs team pivot or adjust its strategy due to new information available about its target market.

This program will promote SMEs to access suitable financial products by linking SMEs with various financial instruments (companies or individuals that provide financial resources and expertise to young businesses). The market-driven program will provide services, including mentoring and coaching to SMEs to accelerate their growth. This will comprise a unique and highly flexible program combining business development processes and people designed to nurture SMEs.

The program will reach at least 200 SMEs drawn from all over Kenya. It will be split in 4 Cohorts of 50 SMEs each as below:

• Cohort 1: Access to markets, themed, Accessing markets for your business growth;
• Cohort 2: Technology, themed, Accessing new business horizons through effective technology adoption;
• Cohort 3: Investor readiness, themed, Is your business ripe for investors?
• Cohort 4: Business operations, themed, Operations and compliance for business success;

Applicants must meet the following application criteria:

• Must be SMEs owned/led by women, youth or at least 50% of the top-level management comprises of women or youth.
• Must be in operation for at least 1 year and at most 10 years.
• Must have at least 2 employees and up to 9 employees.
• Must be registered in Kenya and operational in any of the 47 counties.
• Priority will be given to businesses under the big four agenda value chain:  Manufacturing, Health, Agriculture and Housing.
• Must be committed to participate in the program for 3 months.
• Application is open to both KEPSA and non-KEPSA members though priority will be given to KEPSA members and KEPSA business membership associations members.

Cohort 1: Access to markets, themed: Accessing markets for your business growth;

The objective of this cohort will be to support SMEs to assess and review their existing marketing and business development plans and adopt the interventions prescribed by the trainers to enhance the marketing strategies and tap into local and international markets for their products.

This training session is free of charge. Deadline for application is 27^th February, 2022