What is it?

Make a Wave is a unique Specialist Pre-Incubator Programme for Women Social Entrepreneurs.

It's a learning and co-mentoring programme aimed at 12 women social entrepreneurs and made of 6 exclusive visits and access to women angels and impact investors.

In your diary - dates for Central London visits 2012-2013:

24 September 2012 at 12pm
15 October 2012 at 12pm
05 November 2012 at 12pm
26 November 2012 at 12pm
14 January 2013 at 12pm
04 February 2013 at 12pm

Make a Wave II's confirmed hosts to date: Venture Partnership Foundation, Suzanne Biegel, Berti Investments, Sally Goodsell (FSE Group) among others.

In addition, participants get a special connection with a personal angel, and over 30 hours contact time with professionals and peers for a unique business development opportunity.

Make a Wave PI gives a gendered lens on impact investment and required knowledge and competences to pitch to investment panels, learn about their language and requests.

The programme is topped up by a series of teleconferences with global women social innovators, and access to mentors, coaches and experts who will offer their insights and feedback on your social business proposal.

Click on this link to see a webinar about how to prepare for impact investment.

TO TAKE PART, PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE BUSINESS DIAGNOSTIC FORM HERE (word doc)

RETURN IT BEFORE May 4th, 2012, 5pm.

Purpose:

Make a Wave helps participants to feel better prepared and more confident to present projects to investment panels.
Success indicators are (among others): taking up new commercial opportunities, invitation to submit proposals to incubators programmes, or to dealflow; increased confidence level to pitch to new audiences and funders; refined business proposal that investors are happy to look at and potentially accelerate; Invitation to submit proposals for investment and go through due diligence; Exposure in the media.

In addition to the live visits, participants get coaching, mentoring and access to a series of live webinars with outstanding practitioners in social enterprise and impact investment. 

If you want to be an angel on Make a Wave:

You are an aspiring or experienced business angel and you want to make a difference to women social entrepreneurs at seed stage, read here how you can be part of Make a Wave and access subsequent larger investment opportunities.

The Ogunte team

Make a Wave is an independent programme supported by the RSA Catalyst Fund and Ogunte.

Please note that the programme and speakers are subject to change without notice

Read Further for Frequently Asked Questions

1) Who is the programme for?

- The Make a Wave Pre-Incubator is for women in social businesses that have already a fully functioning operation, have developed services and/or products and put them on market already.

and/or

- Entrepreneurs who have a sellable product/service, that is bound to make a social impact, who also have feedback from testing focus groups, or a sample of users.

- For experienced entrepreneurs who are actively seeking funding (loan finance, grant, equity) to develop, or scale up operations.

and/or

- As an entrepreneur, you have acquired experience in the current business or you would have an entrepreneurial background.

- As an entrepreneur, you want to have privileged access to funders to understand what they are looking for, how they have helped other businesses to be successful and how they could help you grow through finance, mentoring and/or incubation programmes.

2) The programme is not for:

- Entrepreneurs who have just founded a company and haven’t made any sale to date with their current service or product or haven’t got any order to date, and equally never started anything before.

- Entrepreneurs who only have an idea on paper, and never tested the service/product with real people. To test your pilot project, contact for instance your nearest UnLtd office.

- Entrepreneurs who are looking for small grants to fund a project, as opposed to finance operations / finance a business.

- People who have never developed a business before. (But please apply if you are surrounded by people who have and who can support you in the next 12 months).

- Male social entrepreneurs (sorry!)

3) What do I need to do to be eligible?

You need to:

- Fill in the business diagnostic that will give us a snapshot of your business, your vision, your team and your achievements to date, as well as a clear business model. This business diagnostic is a bid for financial and mentoring support by a business angel.

- Agree to go through the crowdfunding process (with our partners Buzzbnk) to fundraise £1000 donation from your network if you have been offered support by a business angel. You need to understand that the angel loan for good of £1000 has to be repaid within 12 months (with 6% interest). (Check the presentation above for more details on the application process)

- Be able to attend the 6 dates for the visits to women investors and other finance organisations in Central London. These visits last up to 2 hours each (1 hosted hour and 45 minutes debrief). (Lunch is not provided).

- Attend 6 co-mentoring teleconferences that will take place throughout the 6 months (8pm GMT) with special guest-hosts based in remote locations. These sessions will also be used for co-mentoring purposes and will fit the needs of the group and women entrepreneurs involved in this programme.

- Complete 6 mentoring sessions with your personal business angel!

- Receive 6 coaching sessions by an Ogunte team member.

5) What happens during the Live Visits?

The hosts / speakers introduce their organisation and what is specific about them, the entrepreneurs they are looking for and the key mistakes to avoid when introducing a venture, and pitching for it. Additionally, we hear about the host's perspective, insight and experience as a business person and how they have overcome obstacles. You will find that their learning will be extremely insightful.

We open the space for a Q and A between the host and the 12 entrepreneurs.

After the session with the investor, we take another 45 minutes to:

• Debrief with the facilitator (A business Coach and Mentor)
• Reflect on how to apply advice and suggestions on to individual ventures.
• Set challenges to implement until next session.