The Innovation Accelerator is a partner to any enterprise that is poised to take the next big step. It gives you clear and coherent advantages such as:

Follow-on Funding: We work with capital partners to provide follow-on funding to our program graduates. Through the accelerator program, we work with the team on improving their investment-readiness by building strong financial systems, financial models and forecasting, compliance checks, and identifying the need and type of capital. This results in tailored connections at the end of the program.

Market Networks: The Accelerator is focused on helping you grow and access new market opportunities. Through the program, key market partners relevant to your business will be identified and connections will be made to them, as needed.

Incubation and Accelerator have different approaches: Through Villgro’s Incubation, we mentor and grow a start-up impact enterprise in its nascent stage of development over at least 2 years, if not more. Villgro accepts enterprises round the year for its incubation program but has a limited intake each year.

In the Accelerator program, we work with enterprises who have been operating at least for two years, have tested their business model and are already a known face to their customers. However, they still need to scale up. The Innovation Accelerator is run on a cohort-model through 12 months where support is delivered through in-depth classroom sessions called Learning and Innovation Labs and one-on-one customized strategic support and mentoring. Usually theme or sector-based, this program allows us to support a larger number of entrepreneurs and their business ideas. It culminates in a Showcase which puts entrepreneurs directly in front of investors, potential market and funding partners.

The Villgro Innovation Accelerator is theme- based and launched only in partnership with ecosystem and market partners. Our themes may change depending on the demand but we support models that demonstrate the following:

For- Profit and Market-based models

Your enterprise must be legally incorporated as a for-profit business or a cooperative in the Philippines. We are looking to support high potential market-based models with a clear revenue stream and customer base with potential for growth.

Early- Stage Entrepreneurship

You must have an early-stage business (less than 5 years old), that has created some revenue-generating customers. In some cases, we may also accept enterprises that may be launching a new business vertical but only if they can demonstrate potential for large scale social impact.

Funding

You haven’t received any institutional funding but are looking to do so within the next 12 months.  

Social Impact

The business model can create significant and direct impact on the lives of the poor – creating jobs or significantly improving incomes, or development through the product/service.

Sector or Theme Focus

Villgro Innovation Accelerator programs target a specific sector or theme. 

Investment Readiness and Financial Technical Assistance: Good financial management and having a strong handle on your cash-flow is critical for a growing enterprise. Our Finance mentors collaborate with you to build strong financial management processes, identify performance metrics and ensure that good governance practices become embedded in your business. We work with you to build your financial model and projections to understand your cash-flow needs and refine your investment ask and identify external capital needs and use.