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Status Update

Capacity Building Programme For Entrepreneurs and Intermediaries

Location

South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Malawi, Botswana

Date

2019 – December 2022

Description

SAIS 2 is a regional initiative that supports the growth of new businesses through strengthening innovation ecosystems and promotion of cross-border collaboration between innovation role-players in Southern Africa.  SAIS 2 is supported by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, in partnership with the Ministries responsible for Science, Technology and Innovation of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia, and the Southern African Development Community Secretariat.

IA Role

Impact Amplifier is supporting this programme by providing capacity building to the SAIS 2 projects in three distinct areas:

  • Investment Readiness Acceleration – a seven-month acceleration programme (delivered both online and face-to-face), which includes:
    ⁃ Impact Model - Social or Environmental Challenge and Solutions
    ⁃ Target Markets, Competitive Landscape, Value Proposition
    ⁃ Market Access – Sales, distribution, promotion, partnerships
    ⁃ Financial Modelling
    ⁃ Growth Strategy
    ⁃ Three-year Financial Plan
    ⁃ Pitch Presentations
    ⁃ Investor Documentation
  • Investment Readiness Master Classes – many of the SAIS 2 funded project grantees (as well as their project members) work as innovation support organisations assisting entrepreneurs and other innovation role-players in their ecosystem. The Investment Readiness Master Classes support the consortium members in developing their capacity in the technical subjects described in the acceleration list above.
  • Beneficiary Mentoring – There are often insufficient local mentors to support start-ups in countries throughout Southern Africa. To address this, the capacity building program is building a mentor network in countries where SAIS 2 funded projects are being implemented. The intention is to support the beneficiaries (entrepreneurs and start-ups) of SAIS 2 project grantees.

Status Update

October 2022

SAIS launched a third cohort in late 2021 and Impact Amplifier supported this group of projects until the project was closed in April 2022. The final report for the entire programme is available here.

Recent Work

Africa Online Safety Fund

Client:

Google.org

Locations:

Sub-Saharan Africa

Date:

June 2020 - Present

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Building Resilience and Impact Assessments

Client:

Nando's

Locations:

South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, USA, Australia, New Zealand

Date:

2012 - Present

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South African Food Ecosystem Impact Assessment

Client:

FoodForward South Africa (FFSA)

Locations:

South Africa

Date:

June 2020 – July 2022

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Scaling Digital Skills

Client:

The World Bank & YES (Youth Employment Service)

Locations:

South Africa

Date:

September 2020 – September 2023

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Social Innovation Accelerator and Fund

Client:

SAB Foundation

Locations:

South Africa

Date:

2018 - Present

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Scaling Climate Adaptation Businesses

Client:

GIZ

Locations:

Nigeria

Date:

July 2022 – Present

View Work