Accelerate2030 – Scaling ventures in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
Three startups are launched every second in the world according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. That’s 11000 an hour. Some focus on extracting petroleum, others on creating solar panels. Plenty build new apps or tech and want to find their niche in Silicon Valley. But what can be said about the small ventures in developing countries, trying to make a positive impact in their communities or country? Every second 3 startups are created. How many of them aim only to serve the people of their community, to make a difference in protecting the environment? But most importantly, who is helping these positive ventures grow? The leading factors for failure are often lack of experience and incompetence, so who is helping
In 2015 the United Nations agreed on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 17 targets to be achieved by 2030 if the world is to live in a way that doesn’t harm the people or the planet they live on. These goals vary from achieving global education to saving life in our oceans, but all together they aim at addressing most – if not all – of the challenges of the 21st century.
Millions of people have taken up the challenge. Initiatives all over the world are popping up to make the world a better place. Plenty of these initiatives aim to be sustainable themselves and have developed a business model, but the leading factors for failure are often lack of experience and incompetence. Sometimes ventures only need a helping hand to expand their positive impact and make a bigger difference in the world.
That’s where Accelerate2030 comes in. The United Nations Development Programme, along with the Impact Hub network have partnered up to create Accelerate2030, the startup acceleration programme focused on scaling ventures in the achievement of the SDGs.
Entrepreneurship is vital for the success of the SDGs, and Accelerate2030 aims to give the most promising ventures the tools they need to create even bigger impact in their communities, and even across borders.
How do they do it? Partnering with International Organisations, startup networks, impact investors, and business consultants, Accelerate2030 selects the most promising ventures to join a 9 month scaling programme, tailored to their needs. Over these months they meet the top consultants in the field to help them gain the knowledge they need to scale their impact, impact investors to help raise funds, and even leadership coaches to help them develop sustainable corporate culture that fits with their values. Accelerate2030 doesn’t put a venture through a standard programme of workshop and courses, but builds a programme based on their specific needs
In its second edition, Accelerate2030 received 324 inspiring applications from 17 developing countries around the world. Every venture is unique in its approach and focus, but they all aim to create positive impact in their communities.
Agruppa, a startup from the 2016 edition, which optimizes the current fruit and vegetable supply chain between farms and mom-and-pop shops in Bogota, closed investments with two international impact investors following the programme, and is now ready to scale its impact beyond Colombia.
Which SDG do the 324 applicants of 2017 focus on?
This year, twice as many startups will be accepted in the programme and will be invited to Geneva in October to start their 9 month tailored support programme alongside the UNDP and Impact Hub network.
While the ventures are in Geneva they will participate in the “SDG Factory”, an invite-based event bringing together key players from the field of innovation to participate in a conference and 5 high-profile workshops addressing entrepreneurship and the SDGs.
People from every corner of earth are rising up to the challenges of the 21st century. Accelerate2030 believes that a paradigm shift towards next-generation businesses is underway. Every drop of water in an ocean of busy people counts, and Accelerate2030 simply wants to help these drops grow in size and impact, and to show the world that positive initiatives are being created to make our world a better place, every single second.
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More information about the Accelerate 2030 Programme can be found here: http://accelerate2030.net/
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