Sponsoring Agency: YY Ventures
Type of Fund: Challenges, Competitions or Prizes
Deadline Available: Available
Deadline Date (mm/dd/yyyy): 05/20/2021
Size of the Fund: Not Available
YY Ventures has partnered up with Aqua for All & Bopinc to introduce the WASH Innovation Challenge for the first time in Bangladesh.
This program will support up to 15 teams that have creative and market-driven solutions for the WASH sector in Bangladesh. With this they hope to jointly achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 – Water and sanitation for all.
Benefits
Innovators will receive:
• World Class Training: This program will create a space for promising innovators and entrepreneurs to accelerate their WASH initiatives by training them through a 3-day long boot camp to shape their idea into reinvented business models through proper strategy implementation.
• Mentoring: Mentoring hours will be structured based on the needs of participants during the program weeks. Participants will have the opportunity to avail mentoring from subject matter experts.
• Funding Opportunity: One winning team will get a cash prize of €2.500 at the end of the boot camp and top participants will have the opportunity to apply for €200.000 at Aqua for All if they meet the funding criteria.
• Investor Network: With the shared support with the program partners, we will bring in a pool of investors and funders for the teams to connect and create conversations that will lead to opening up opportunities for their startups.
• Coworking Space: Successful applicants will become members at Impact Hub Dhaka, one of the largest social entrepreneurs' networks in the world and get access to coworking space that comes with high-speed internet, furnished space and community events.
• Startup Community: Teams will be introduced to a diverse and inclusive network of startup founders within the WASH sectors and beyond. By sharing experience and making connections through shared interests, each startup will have the opportunity to collaborate and grow.
Who can apply?
• Students or alumni from engineering universities who are launching their own startups to sell the technology that has been developed at the university
• Established enterprise with proven ideas in other sectors than WASH, but looking to replicate the idea to support customers in the WASH sector
• NGOs that are active in the WASH sector have come up with an unusual and creative idea that can be brought to the boot camp
• Any other organisation with an innovative idea for the WASH sector
Eligibility Criteria
• The legal status of business:
o The challenge is only open to enterprises and organisations that are registered in Bangladesh or that can demonstrate they will register their business within the next 3 months or have a local partner in Bangladesh. Organisations outside Bangladesh with key partners (i.e. distributors) registered in Bangladesh are also welcome to participate.
• Stage of venture:
o They welcome ideas from both enterprises that are in their early stages as well as those that are more mature.
More information at: https://yy.ventures/washic/
