William James Foundation 10th Annual Sustainable Business Plan Competition
In case you missed it, here is the list of the companies we are working with through our competition this for 2013: http://williamjamesfoundation.org/InvitedSummaries.pdf. The business model canvas submissions are going out to the judges next week and we're looking forward to all the great feedback they have to share.
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Upcoming deadlines for Investors' Circle and GSVC
For the entrepreneurs out there, the deadlines for the Investors' Circle and Global Social Venture Competition are approaching.
- Investors' Circle (IC) is now accepting applications for their Spring Venture Fair! IC funds early stage impact enterprises looking to raise between $50-$3m. For information about our criteria and application, please go here and see the attached pdf. You can also reach out to Rachele directly if you have specific questions at rhaberthomson@investorscircle.net.
- Global Social Venture Competition applications are due by the end of Janaury with the date depending on your region.
- And, as always, we keep a comprehensive list of conferences and competitions that support for-profit social enterprises.
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WJF Community Updates January 8, 2013
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Former Entrant Spotlight: Maendeleo Agric
Mr. Abraham Kamarck founded Maendeleo Ventures, LLC in 2009. Maendeleo Agric is a Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) company, focused on spreading sustainable, high-yield greenhouse technology and best practices to everyone by creating hi-tech, low cost solutions for all farmers. The WJF's Conrad Cheeks talked with Abraham Kamarck, founder and CEO of Maendeleo Agric, to ask him about his business.
What problem are you trying to solve?
Maendeleo Agric is working to combat the lack of food in emerging economies.
How did you become interested in this problem? I won a contract as an entrepreneur from USDA to look at leasing in Ghana to local farmers. Agriculture has been a problem in Ghana is which is why there is no leasing to farmers. The Ghana credit system also has bad reputation and holds huge credit risk. So I thought about what kind of technology could be leased to these farmers. This is how I initially got interested in this problem.
What is your solution to the problem? We provide affordable greenhouse solutions to farmers that are competitive. It gives farmers a chance to use their land more effectively to crawl out of poverty and to be able to produce higher quality products. Check out the WJF website to read more about Maendeleo Agric. |