The Land Accelerator (2019)

Restoring degraded land has the potential to become big business. Entrepreneurs are taking advantage of market opportunities and government incentives to
restore and manage farmland and forests sustainably. From tree-based crops to organic fertilizers to timber alternatives, these businesses are breathing new life into unproductive land.

The Land Accelerator is boosting these efforts. Created by the World Resources Institute and Fledge in 2018, it is the world’s first business accelerator for entrepreneurs focused on land restoration. For our first cohort, we received 245 applications for 12 spots. To learn more, check out this 4-minute video on last year’s Land Accelerator.

The second cohort of The Land Accelerator will run from September 7-12, 2019, in Nairobi, Kenya. This will be an intense 6-day program  to train and mentor entrepreneurs from across Africa,  including both business planning and technical lectures, and ending with a Demo Day where participants will pitch to prospective investors.

The application deadline is Monday, July 8. We will select 15 applicants. The best applicants will ideally seek to improve the ecological function of a degraded landscape.  This includes but is not limited to climate-smart agriculture, sustainable forestry, reforestation, and non-timber forest products.

Travel costs will be covered for applicants from Ethiopia, Kenya,  Malawi, Niger, and Cameroon. Companies from elsewhere in Africa are also welcome to apply.  There is no fee for the program.  Neither is there any guaranteed investment, but some participants may be invited to future Fledge sessions in other cities, all of which come with an investment.

Apply online on F6S.

The Land Accelerator (2019)