ShEquity Business Accelerator 2023

Apply now to join the fourth cohort of the ShEquity Business Accelerator (SHEBA) program. The success of your business starts here!

Established in March 2021 by ShEquity in collaboration with its implementation partner, MBC Africa, SHEBA addresses the existing gender funding gap by de-risking African female-led businesses, getting them to become investment ready, and equipping the founders with the skill set needed to grow and scale their businesses. The SHEBA program has executed three (3) cohorts of 30 participants each,

The ShEquity Business Accelerator (SHEBA) program has executed three cohorts of 30 participants each, with participants from Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. The 17-week accelerator provides venture-building and technical support to African female entrepreneurs across the ECOWAS region who are looking to successfully grow their businesses and become investment ready.

SHEBA focuses on impactful, innovative, and scalable businesses in agribusiness (agritech, production, processing, wholesale, retail, all agribusiness value chain aspects), climate-smart businesses, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs), healthcare, mobility/logistics, and tech-enabled businesses (fintech, clean tech, ed tech, etc.). The applicants’ businesses should be duly registered in ECOWAS countries, female-owned and managed with a minimum of 51% female ownership, and in operation for at least 24 months.

About the program

The SHEBA program is designed to address investors’ concerns including key investment risks. The 17 weeks program focuses on getting female-led and owned businesses fit for investment and increasing their chances of getting access to seed funding. Unlike other accelerators not connected to an investment vehicle, SHEBA is a deal funnel to ShEquity and other trusted investors.

The program is also designed to enhance leadership and soft skills needed to engage with key partners/customers as well as inspire teams to revamp and test their marketing strategy.

SHEBA equips founders with the skillset needed to develop new business models and mindsets for innovation while leveraging existing tools to be ahead of the competition.

Benefits

In addition to the robust program development focus, SHEBA offers the opportunity to receive funding from ShEquity and other investors within the ShEquity network. After the acceleration program, qualifying businesses are recommended to the ShEquity team for investment consideration. The typical ShEquity seed investment ranges between US$50K and $250K, with an additional opportunity for post-investment support.

More information

If you have any questions or inquiries, please reach out to:

ShEquity: info@shequity.com
MBC Africa: info@mbcafrica.com