Fully Funded to Berlin, Germany: Westerwelle Young Founders Programme – Autumn 2021 for Young Entrepreneurs from Emerging and Developing Countries

The Westerwelle Young Founders Programme (YFP) is a six-month fellowship for 25 leaders uplifting emerging and developing markets towards a sustainable future. YFP offer targeted support to scale our founders’ ventures and develop their leadership abilities, with the following programme plan:

   

• Kick-Off Conference: A two-day digital kick-off conference will take place in the last week of September 2021;
• Remote Programme: From October 2021 – March 2022, the Young Founders will receive six months of support including a personal mentor, alumni buddy, monthly peer mentoring sessions, monthly expert workshops and networking opportunities with corporates and investors;
• Berlin Conference: The ten best performing Young Founders will be invited to a five-day conference in Spring 2022. During this conference, the founders will have the opportunity to pitch in front of investors, participate in workshops, join networking events and get an insight into the German start-up scene.

• Selection CriteriaYFP is looking for entrepreneurs with high potential for impact and growth to become leaders of a sustainable future, with the following criteria:
  • You have recently (in the last five years) started a for-profit company focused on developing or emerging markets;
  • Your company possesses a scalable business model that has ideally generated revenue or secured a first round of external funding;
  • You or your business possesses disruptive qualities that can increase the quality, impact or inclusiveness of the industry;
  • You possess a good working knowledge of English;
  • You are available to attend the digital kick-off conference and can make time to participate in programme activities for the six months.

Benefits

Mentoring

A unique experience with a successful entrepreneur or investor, who becomes your sparring partner.

Peer Learning

Exchanges with other successful young founders of the cohort to share knowledge and support each other.

Expert Sessions

In-depth sessions on relevant topics with high-class experts.

Buddy Programme

Access to new business opportunities by being connected to alumni of the programme.

Berlin Conference

Exposure to the Berlin Startup Ecosystem through a fully funded one-week conference together with the other founders for the top 10 participants.

Application Procedure

The following application will provide our Programme Team with an understanding of your startup and profile. Please have the following key elements ready:

• Your startup pitch deck
• Basic financial information (i.e. revenues, funding)
• Your LinkedIn profile and/or CV

With these on hand, the application will take approximately 20 minutes. Only complete applications will be reviewed.

The key application dates are as follows:

• Application deadline: Friday, September 3 at 11:59 CEST
• Interviews with shortlisted candidates: September 13-17, 2021
• Notification of all applicants: September 20, 2021

For More Information:

Click Here to Visit the Official Webpage of the Westerwelle Young Founders Programme