The UNDP pre-acceleration initiative is set to support impact oriented growth-stage businesses with viable and effective solutions to be deployed across a diverse set of users and contexts globally.

The initiative is focused on identifying ventures based innovative technology solutions and transformative business models, as well as services and products addressing challenges related to poverty & inequality through access to education, health and jobs, environment and energy, digital finance, resilience, gender equality as per the major priority directions outlined in UNDP’s strategic plan for 2022-2025.

Designed to support selected ventures to further build on their impact-oriented solutions, and prepare them for impact pitching and fundraising from impact investors and philanthropists, the PreAccelerator will be selecting 50 ventures who will be participating in impact venture building masterclasses and workshops, 1:1 exclusive coaching sessions from UNDP and guest mentors within the Seedstar network, and networking events with fellow ventures.

By the end of the programme, the cohort’s best 15 will be selected to pitch to investors on ImpactAim SDGs Tech PreAccelerator Demo Day ​​and will have the opportunity to connect with global investors including Angels, Venture Capitals, Family Offices, Corporate Investors, Philanthropist, and Investor Networks.

“At UNDP, we are keen to partner with the private sector in finding, investing in and scaling high performing impact ventures that offer transformational solutions to development challenges and help achieve the SDGs,” said Christophe Bahuet, UNDP’s Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. “The ImpactAim SDGs Tech PreAccelerator, supported and implemented by UNDP’s Bangkok Regional Hub, works globally and invites start-ups beyond the Asia-Pacific region to join its programme, giving it extraordinary scope and scale.”

To qualify for the programme, applicants must meet the the following criteria:

• Directly or indirectly address at least one of the following SDG-related thematic challenges: FinTech for SDGs, Good Health and Well-being, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Affordable and Clean Energy.
• A venture with a product or service with proven technical and economic feasibility (beyond MVP), a proven market, and an emerging customer base.
• A venture that has specific and identifiable beneficiaries
• Scalable with the potential to have a systemic and transformative effect

“Seedstars is very excited to partner with UNDP and Financial Times on the ImpactAim SDGs Tech PreAccelerator to find impact-driven entrepreneurs and ventures (both growth stage and established) creating viable and effective solutions around the world. We will bring together talented mentors, experts and investors from the global emerging markets to help mentor, guide and scale their businesses. This will allow us to bring the focus on the SDGs aims to bring awareness to global problems, while also empowering entrepreneurs who are creating innovative solutions that can be adopted in the developing world to address these global issues like poverty & inequality through access to education, health and jobs, environment and energy, resilience, gender equality as per the priority directions outlined in UNDP’s strategic plan for 2022-2025,” says, Anurag Maloo, Regional Director (APAC) and Head of Sales & Partnerships at Seedstars.

“The impact pre-accelerator format was developed to expand our UNDP Impact Venture Accelerators offering, working across geographies under the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. This format allows for the delivery of a very intensive global program within a short period of time in entirely virtual settings. Typically, it results in very high satisfaction scores from participating start-ups.” said Artak Melkonyan, Global Lead for Impact Venture Accelerators under the UNDP Sustainable Finance Hub.

To become a part of the ImpactAim SDGs Tech PreAccelerator, send in your applications before February 11, 2022 to their page at seedsta.rs/ImpactAimUNDP.

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ABOUT SEEDSTARS

"They tried to bury us, they didn’t know we were seeds." - Mexican proverb

Seedstars is a Swiss-based private company with a mission to impact people’s lives in emerging markets through technology and entrepreneurship. The group’s activities cover over 90 emerging ecosystems through a variety of initiatives such as the FTxSDG Challenge, previously known as the Seedstars World Competition, which is the largest entrepreneurship competition in emerging markets; Seedstars Programs that are designed to support entrepreneurs in varying stages of growth via training, education, mentoring, and access to resources; Seedstars 01, a talent incubator providing digital skills and startup-based immersive education for the next generation of changemakers; Seedspace, physical coworking spaces and hubs located in 15 countries; and Seedstars International, a global venture capital fund for seed-stage startups. For more information, visit www.seedstars.com.

ABOUT UNDP

The United Nations Development Programme works in nearly 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. It helps countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities, and build resilience in order to sustain development results.

UNDP’s Impact Ventures Accelerators (IVAs) is a practical approach to help businesses become focused on delivering products, services and business models, which directly and systemically contribute to the challenges manifested by SDGs. IVAs combine business acceleration programs with robust and dedicated efforts for SDG impact alignment including impact measurement and management practices. UNDP has developed 2 major IVA models, ImpactAIM and SDG Accelerator, designed for businesses at various levels of maturity. Currently, UNDP IVAs are implemented in Armenia, Denmark, Bosnia & Herzegovina, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Moldova, Philippines, Serbia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Turkey, Vietnam and include global and cross-regional initiatives. Since 2017, UNDP IVAs have worked with over 300 enterprises from 46 countries.

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