KEPSA SMEs Accelerator Program

August 16, 2022

The SMEs Accelerator Program is an initiative by KEPSA with support from the Embassy of Ireland in Kenya, to support SMEs in quickly increasing the value of their businesses. It will involve intensive training and mentorship sessions to bolster their current strategies, accelerate their growth, and help them pivot or adjust their strategy due to new information about their target market.

The main objective of this cohort will be to build capacity for participating SMEs to enable them access suitable financial products with an aim of growing and expanding their businesses.”. This market-driven program will provide services, including mentoring and coaching to the SMEs to accelerate their growth. The key topics that will be covered under Cohort 3, Investor readiness themed, “Is your business ripe for investors” will comprise:

Developing comprehensive business plans;
Developing 3-year financial projections for their businesses;
Developing pitch decks and the art of pitching;
Understanding legal investor documentation;
Overview of the funding landscape.

Eligibility Criteria

The key objectives for this cohort will be supporting the selected SMEs to evaluate their business processes and determine the gaps they need to address towards being ready for funding.

Must be SMEs owned or led by Women or Youth:
Women-led/owned SMEs 18-70years old
Male led/owned SMEs 18-35years old.
Must be in operation for at least 1 year and at most 10 years
Must have at least 2 employees and up to 9 employees
Must be registered in Kenya and operational in any of the 47 counties. Businesses operating outside Nairobi are encouraged to apply
Application is open to both KEPSA and non-KEPSA members, however priority will be given to KEPSA members and KEPSA business membership associations members
Priority will be given to businesses under the big four agenda sectors; Manufacturing, Health, Agriculture, and Housing.
Committed to participating in the program for four months by attending eleven weekly sessions of two hours each.
Must be computer literate.
Willing to work and submit agreed deliverables namely; business plans, financial projections and pitch decks.
Have access to a suitable device and reliable internet connectivity to participate since all sessions will be virtual.