Jasiri Growth Accelerator – 2025

The Jasiri Growth Accelerator is designed to provide comprehensive support to existing businesses with substantial growth potential, assisting them in reaching crucial growth milestones and preparing them for investment.

This program targets start-ups from Rwanda and Kenya that have pioneered market-creating innovations, which are businesses dedicated to solving complex challenges and delivering valuable goods or services to a broad previously underserved audience.

To be eligible for this accelerator, these businesses are required to have achieved product-market fit. Early-stage businesses often face fundraising challenges due to inadequate traction. Market-creating innovations, by their nature, demand substantial investment for development. This accelerator supports ventures by bridging the crucial funding gap that exists for them.

Program overview

Ventures focused on Market Creating Innovations face unique challenges, while needing significant investment support. The Jasiri Growth Accelerator partners with founders to devise a customized Development Plan. This plan focuses on supporting the ventures to address challenges and reach milestones that will have the greatest impact on their business growth and position them to attract funding and / or investment. The accelerator provides access to key advisors, coaches, mentors and networks, as well as dedicated venture builders to work alongside founders as they take this catalytic leap.

The Jasiri Growth Accelerator commits a funding amount of US$75,000 per venture, delivered through a mix of direct and indirect funding.

Program offering

• US$75,000, provided as a mix of direct and indirect funding
• Mentorship and coaching
• Financial reporting and accounting support
• Market validation
• Legal and administrative support
• Education and workshops
• Office space if required, and support in identification and selection of service providers
• Networking opportunities
• Introductions to potential partners

Eligibility criteria

The Jasiri Growth Accelerator supports existing businesses with high growth potential to achieve key growth milestones and get ready for investment.

The Growth Accelerator focuses on startups from Rwanda and Kenya offering defensible market-creating innovations, whether this innovation rests in their products or their business models. These businesses must have achieved product-market fit.

Recruitment and selection

To be accepted into the Growth Accelerator program, the Startups must exhibit the following:

• Large potential market.
• Market-Creating Innovation Potential to address non consumption i.e. trying to solve difficult problems and providing goods or services that were previously not accessible or affordable to a large number of people.
• Existing user base.
• Generating revenue.
• Consistent growth in revenue or user acquisition.
• Proof of legal Registration and tax compliance in Rwanda/ Kenya.

Program structure

The structure of the JGA program is as follows:

Acceleration (10 months)

Bespoke Programmatic Interventions

• Targeted Strategic Intervention Support: Startups receive structured project-based support from expert service providers and Venture Builders, aimed at driving the achievement of specific milestones identified in the development plans.
• Venture Building Support: Startups will meet regularly with their Venture Builder as required to receive strategic guidance on implementing the development plan initiatives and managing support provided by service providers where relevant.
• Development Plan Ratification: The development plan is to be reviewed and ratified on an ongoing 6-weekly basis or as otherwise deemed necessary, as the startup refines its offering and improves traction.
• Progress Tracking:  Startups provide monthly reports on progress, including key operational updates, performance updates on service Providers delivery, and venture performance against agreed financial, operational and impact measures and milestones.
• Advisory Support and Guidance:  In addition, the JGA Program team (including the Program Lead, Venture Builder, service provider(s) and selected Guests/Advisors) will meet with the startup on a 6-weekly basis to review progress and provide guidance and insights on key questions and issues identified by the founding team.

Funding Readiness Support & Investor Exposure 

• Strategy Intervention: Startups are supported in identifying immediate expansion opportunities, evaluating different sources of available funding and identifying prospective investors.
• Financial Modeling: Startups are assisted in creating a three-year financial forecast model.
• Valuation: Startups are assisted in creating a valuation (e.g. Discounted Cash Flow).
• Data Room Preparation: Startups are supported in creating a strategically structured and accurate data room.
• Pitch Deck Preparation: Startups are assisted in revising their existing pitch decks to incorporate critical information required by investors. Startups are also supported to refine their pitch presentation skills (i.e. confidence, demonstrating a clear understanding of the business and answering investor questions).
• Investor Introductions:  Identification of investors whose mandates align with the selected startup.
• Investor Roundtable: Startups present to the mandate-fit group of investors with the potential for co-investment.

Investment instrument

• Total investment: $75 000
  • Each accepted startup will receive $75,000, which will be allocated to address its financial and non-financial needs.
  • Disbursement amounts, conditions precedent and parameters of the above will be at the discretion of the JGA team.
  • During the development planning process, founders, along with the assigned Venture Builder, will decide how to allocate the total investment between direct funding and non-financial support.
  • The instrument will be aligned to reflect this agreement.
• Investment timing: 
  • Disbursement of immediate direct funding support amounts will be triggered on signing the Program Agreement and SAFE, with the timing and conditions of subsequent disbursements / draw-downs pre-agreed.
  • Non-financial support will be paid directly to the service provider in accordance with the agreements that the founders have entered into with the service provider.
• Investment vehicle:
  • Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE)
  • JASIRI intends to remain a minor shareholder to ensure that Startups remain the major shareholders of their ventures and are able to attract future investors to support their continued growth and scale.
  • A SAFE is a type of investment agreement, developed by Y Combinator, that a startup enters into with an investor. It gives the investor the right to future equity without determining the startup valuation when the initial investment is made. The valuation is determined when a predetermined trigger, or conversion event, occurs (e.g. equity investment round, initial public offering or an acquisition).