Organized by These Numbers Have Faces (TNHF), a US nonprofit organization, the ‘Accelerate Academy’ saw 150 entrepreneurs receive training and coaching in business management, access to capital funds and other larger financial investments to qualified entrepreneurs who want to take their businesses to the next level.
The Accelerate Summit 2018 attracted entrepreneurs with businesses in agriculture, retail, construction, energy/power generation, financial services, logistics, healthcare, information and communication among other sectors.
Through the 4th summit, the young entrepreneurs met US and Rwandan business experts who mentored them on entrepreneurship personality, creativity, innovation, and some basic management techniques.
After the three days of the summit, the young entrepreneurs were given certificates of appreciation and 50 finalists who pitched best projects were announced.
Out of the 50 finalists, 30 entrepreneurs will be selected to be part of the Accelerate Academy program and they will have opportunities to receive some capital from TNHF and next June they will have an opportunity to pitch their organizations and ideas to receive an investment loan.
The Executive Director of These Numbers Have Faces, Jim Pressnell said that during the summit, “We gave the youth some mentoring about social impact and social innovation.”
“Everyone’s ideas were really powerful, everything from juice making business, to foundations wanting to work with teenage mothers to piggeries and all kinds of opportunities,” he said.
“We talked with young entrepreneurs about making sure that their ideas are sustainable as we talked about different ways to raise and manage the capital and seek investment,” added Jim Presnell.
Celestin Mpagazekubwayo, 26, is the founder and CEO of Z Group Company Ltd, a company that transforms tomatoes into the sauce. He said, “From this meeting, I learned how to improve and market my product but the most important benefit is the network. I met different people I didn’t know and whose businesses are as the same as mine. We interacted and mutually shared the experiences and advice.
Ange Umutoni, a young entrepreneur who is among the 50 finalists said people should get away out of the comfort zone and think out of the box.
On the capital problem that some youth say impedes them from starting own businesses, Umutoni said that ‘’there are opportunities outside. Most people are willing to invest in new companies and businesses, it is up for young entrepreneurs with good business ideas to go look for those people, pitch them their ideas. The capital is no longer the problem because even the government is helping young entrepreneurs.”
These Numbers Have Faces is a nonprofit organization with a vision to build and develop good community leaders by investing in education and entrepreneurs impacting over 10000 people annually.
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