Out of more than 500 applicants, the Stanbic Bank Business Incubator Programme chose us! SEE Impact, to receive grant funding and business development support. Starting a business and seeing it through to success is challenging but rewarding. We wanted to connect with other entrepreneurs as a social enterprise focusing on sustainable agribusiness and climate action to share knowledge and gain access to networks with top managers, mentors, and founders, including business leaders, corporate executives, investors, and marketing specialists.
So, the Stanbic Business Incubator was the right choice, place, and opportunity to deepen and widen our knowledge and networks. The Enterprise Development program provides an enabling environment for SMEs to enhance their capacity and foster business growth. The Program is designed and delivered online, with classroom-based training, self-study, focused group discussions, and a coaching and mentorship process.
Over the recent months, effective April 2021, we enrolled in the program. It was the best experience of our business journey. During the program, we realized that our business was at the success level where we were required to get certifications and accreditations for our products (for example, Shea butter, Cashew nuts, and tree seedlings). We had to strengthen our knack for contracts and bid management to raise more capital to grow our operations. We also had custom-tailored mentoring and coaching to encourage and sustain our business growth. We also responded to monitoring and evaluation surveys to improve the program’s overall experience.
The Incubator program also organized a series of Masterclasses which included “Boosting efficiency through “compliance and international standards (facilitated by Martin Lubwama, a QSHE, Energies Consultant), ‘’Design Thinking as a catalyst for Digital Disruption’’ (facilitated by Brian Ncube, a strategist & Technologist), and ‘’Going green Pioneering Ideas to scale your impacts on people’s planet and your profits’’ (facilitated by Christine Meyer, a Senior Manager and Co-Lead at Green Entrepreneurship Adelphi). We are delighted to have gained critical knowledge, networks, and resources. We were challenged but inspired as we acquired new skills and knowledge.
Our enterprise was selected to pitch our business ideas and milestones achieved. We were successfully awarded a grant under the Network for Innovation in Agriculture and Tourism (NISAT). We sincerely thank the wonderful people we met, including Tony Otoa, Lois Nanono, Marina, Fatumah, Lyndah, and Joel Bamwise. Thank you for supporting start-ups and existing small businesses to grow sustainably.
We look forward to our operation's continuous growth and expansion in 2023.