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Support

Vision &
mission

Creativity
Job opportunities
Gender Equality
Ecology

Afrique Créative vision focuses on the ability of individuals to harness their creativity to drive change. The Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) constitute a considerable economic lever. This field mainly concerns small and medium-sized enterprises, which have a significant impact on local development. The creative field is one of the preferred avenues for the economic and ecological diversification that modern, globalised economies urgently need.

It is for these reasons that Afrique Créative is committed to supporting cultural and creative entrepreneurship.

Our mission is to identify high-potential cultural and creative entrepreneurs and to support, strengthen and network them to accelerate the development of their organisations.

The Afrique Créative programme will include:

  • Technical support, both in terms of entrepreneurial capacity building and creative and cultural coaching;
  • Financial support to accelerate the company’s development and consolidate its economic model.

Pre-incubation

E-learning
Bootcamps
Mentoring
Mobility and network
Fundraising

  • 15 to 18 entrepreneurs (between 1 and 3 per country) are selected through a call for applications 
  • They are supported by local incubators for at least ½ day per week for three months

In particular, the aim is to get them to :

    • (Re)structure their business models.
    • Establish their scale-up strategy and define their acceleration targets.
    • Rework their acceleration project and funding application submitted to Afrique Créative.
    • Work on their financial projections related to this acceleration project.
    • Preparing to pitch their acceleration project in front of the final jury.
  • They benefit from e-learning courses, common to the entire cohort, on various subjects (HR management, marketing, etc.). These e-learning sessions complement the support provided by the incubators. They are an opportunity for entrepreneurs to meet and exchange ideas virtually.
  • After sending their acceleration projects and pitch-decks to the Afrique Créative consortium, they pitch their acceleration projects to a jury composed of cultural actors, institutions, and investors. This jury selects the eight best projects that will participate in the incubation and acceleration phases.

Incubation

E-learning
Bootcamps
Mentoring
Mobility and network
Fundraising

  • 8 entrepreneurs are selected from the 15 to 18 in the pre-incubation phase based on a pitch by a jury made up of cultural players, institutions and investors.
  • They participate in a bootcamp focused on entrepreneurial structuring (consolidation of the business model). This bootcamp (virtual or in person, depending on the context) brings the whole cohort together and creates a community spirit.
  • They are accompanied by the local incubators that supported them during the pre-incubation phase. They work with them on management and business aspects to better structure their company, at least ½ day per week for six months.
  • They benefit from e-learning training sessions, common to the entire cohort, which complement the support provided by the incubators. These sessions are an opportunity to bring all the entrepreneurs together virtually on a regular basis.
  • They are individually coached by a creative mentor, a renowned professional in their field who will support them on the cultural and creative aspects of their organisation throughout the programme.
  • They win funding in the form of a grant of between €30,000 and €50,000 per company to finance their acceleration project (see Financial support tab) – Part of this grant (€10,000) is intended to pay for the local incubator.

Acceleration

Diagnosis
Bootcamps
Fundraising
Closing

  • The 8 entrepreneurs who participated in the incubation phase participate in the acceleration phase for three months
  • They participate in a in person bootcamp, focused on scaling up and preparing for fundraising. These workshops allow entrepreneurs to meet and take part in interactive workshops during which everyone actively participates in the community’s development.
  • They are accompanied by an investor operating on the African continent, who specifically supports them in their preparation for fundraising (financial projections, valuation, etc.)
  • They continue to receive tailored coaching from their creative mentor > As well as e-learning training sessions.
  • They finalise the implementation of their action plan thanks to the funding granted during the Incubation phase.

Financial support

30.000 to
50.000€ Innovation and profitability

  • Each of the eight selected entrepreneurs receives funding in the form of a grant of between €30,000 and €50,000.
  • The amount is determined by the entrepreneur according to their acceleration project.
  • A fixed amount of this budget is allocated to the payment of the incubator (€ 10,000).
  • The equivalent of 1/3 of the budget must be provided by the entrepreneur in equity during the programme (e.g. through the financing of human resources, rent, communications, etc.). For example, for an acceleration project budgeted at 70,000 euros, Afrique Créative can contribute a maximum of 46,700 euros and the entrepreneur will have to contribute 23,300 euros
  • Disbursements are conditional: it is necessary to validate certain stages during the support process to receive each tranche of funding.
  • The objective of the financing is to accelerate the development of the company by consolidating its economic model (e.g. starting a new activity, a new product/service, innovating in processes, etc.).
  • Examples of actions to be included in the acceleration project (non-exhaustive list) :
    • Prototyping of a new product or service;
    • Recruitment of qualified personnel to increase the company’s productivity;
    • Staff training programme ;
    • Acquisition of timesaving equipment; 
    • Innovative activities to integrate the digital dimension into the business model;
    • Marketing activities to promote the company’s products or services and increase its sales;
    • Communication and graphic design activities to improve the company’s brand image;
    • Legal and/or fiscal services to professionalise the functioning of the organisation;
    • Etc.
  • Types of acceleration projects that will not be eligible for funding:
    • Events of a religious or political nature.
    • Pre-existing one-off projects that are not profitable (e.g. festivals).
    • Applicant’s operating costs (only project-related costs are eligible).
    • Debts and obligations.
    • Projects consisting mainly of capital expenditure on infrastructure, land, equipment.
    • Projects solely intended to promote the visibility of the project leader.

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