Driven Women Plus

The Driven Women Plus program is a six month program designed to provide ongoing support and services to accelerator program participants and partners. Implemented over a six month period following the two week scale and field immersion labs, the program provides support in the following streams:

Business Advisory Services: this stream provides targeted business advisory services and export development support services. The business advisory services cover areas such as strategy, governance, operations, finance, and marketing. The program is provided via company specific clinics which result in the development of a company growth plan. The export development support services stream is designed to provide technical assitance in developing export market entry plans and strategies to participate in regional and global value chains.

Investment Facilitation: a program stream designed to provide investment and transaction support services to accelerator companies and investment programs partners.

Corporate Innovations and Supplier Partnerships: a program designed to provide advisory services to corporates seeking to co-create innovative projects and ventures with accelerator companies or strategic partners. The Program also has a supplier partnership team designed to integrate accelerator companies in coporate supply chains.

R&D and Technology Program: this program stream seeks to mobilize technical assistance to facilitate the adoption and deployment of high potential and emerging technologies for technology oriented accelerator companies. The program also facilitates beta testing and demonstration of technologies. It also supports the development of strategies for taking technologies to market.

Driven Women Bank Program: is a program designed to introduce accelerator companies to financial products and sources of capital available from banks and financial institutions catering to women businesses. The program is also designed to expose financial intermediaries to opportunities for investing in women led companies. Furthermore, the program seeks to work with banks and financial intermediaries to provide them with custom made Driven Women Accelerator services during the Driven Women Plus Program or on demand. The program will provide the following support:

  • Matchmaking between banks and financial intermediaries and accelerator companies.

  • Introductions of high potential and investment ready companies to banks and financial intermediaries.

  • Advisory, technical assistance, and acceleration services to women led companies in banks’ lending and financing portfolios to build their managerial capacities and readiness to absorb follow on capital.

  • Support banking and financial intermediaries in developing value chain financing solutions for women led companies operating in agricultural value and high priority value chains.