Deadline:
As soon as possible
Location(s)
Germany
Berlin
Overview
The Westerwelle Young Founders Programme is a fully funded 6-month-long programme for outstanding young entrepreneurs from emerging and developing countries. The programme aims to connect young founders from all over the world and offers a mentoring programme tailored to their particular challenges. It supports them in further developing their entrepreneurial skills and their international network.
Details
The 6-month-long Westerwelle Young Founders Programme starts with a digital kick-off conference. In the following six months, the young founders will have the opportunity to develop their company with the support of a personal mentor and to exchange ideas with the other young founders and obtain feedback.
On top of that, the Westerwelle Foundation will select the ten best performing Young Founders and invite them to the Top-10-Conference in Berlin. During this conference, the selected startups will have the opportunity to pitch in front of investors, participate in workshops and networking events and get an insight into the German start-up scene.
The Network
One of the highlights of participating in the Westerwelle Young Founders Programme is that every participant will also join the Young Founders Network — a strong network of outstanding entrepreneurs from emerging and developing countries who had participated in the programme themselves. The Young Founders Network is a place to look for expertise, develop synergies with other Young Founders and support each other.
About us
The world is in a state of constant change. Processes of globalization and digitalization are creating opportunities all over the world. As boundaries between nations recede, new partnerships emerge, ideas are intertwined, and we move ever closer together. Countless people seek new pathways, undertaking inconceivable risks, striving to obtain peace and prosperity. This puts us all before new challenges. In order to meet them, we must commit to closer cooperation in designing our shared future. The risk of change and fear of the unknown should not impair our vision of new, emerging opportunities. It will require an investment in education, as well as an openness to new ideas.
The Westerwelle Foundation wants to contribute to this goal. We want to create more opportunities for more people around the world. We promote international understanding, and foster values of democracy, market-economy, rule-of-law and tolerance. Our founders’ biographies rest on these values.
We believe in the correlation of economic success and democratic participation. Our focus lies on empowering the middle class as a socioeconomic model, comparable to the idea of the German Mittelstand. Fostering cooperation between governments and civil societies, politics and economics facilitates this objective.
Prioritizing three focal points Educate. Promote. Connect. we turn disruption into innovation, conflict into consensus and contention into collaboration.
Opportunity is About
Eligibility
Candidates should be from:
Description of Ideal Candidate
Our requirements
- You have recently (in the last 5 years) started a for-profit company with a scalable business model that has achieved Product-Market Fit and has ideally secured first external funding (if you run a business model that requires external investment);
- your company is based in a developing or emerging country or has a strong business focus on developing and emerging economies;
- 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 monthly mentoring and peer mentoring calls for the 6-month programme.
Please note that foreign applicants must possess valid travel documents (including a visa, if necessary) to enter Germany, and valid travel medical insurance.
Dates
Deadline: As soon as possible
Cost/funding for participants
What we offer:
- The Top-10 Conference – a week-long conference in Berlin for the ten best performing startups who will be given the unique chance to pitch in front of investors, participate in workshops and networking events and get an insight into the German startup scene. (travel and accommodation will be covered by the Westerwelle Foundation);
- A personal mentor who is an experienced entrepreneur and will function as a sparring partner with whom you can discuss upcoming challenges and new opportunities;
- Monthly peer mentoring calls with the other successful Young Founders of the cohort to share knowledge with and support each other;
- Expert sessions on relevant topics (e.g. OKRs, investor KPIs, marketing & sales);
- The Young Founders Network — a strong alumni network that functions as a platform for all Young Founders to connect with each other, exchange ideas and find support for existing challenges;
- Exposure to the Berlin startup scene and the public for you and your startup via our social media channels and our networks,
- Assistance beyond the programme as we remain a contact person for the Young Founders and will help you to find suitable experts for challenges, offer possibilities to share learnings with current cohorts or celebrate successes.
- The buddy programme that connects alumni of the Westerwelle Young Founders Programme with new Young Founders that operate in the same business to potentially open doors and enhance mutual exchange.
Un-save Opportunity
Internships, scholarships, student conferences and competitions.
