Spark* Entrepreneurs changing lives The Spark Model: Accelerate
From the hundreds that apply for each intake, Spark* selects twelve entrepreneurs for the accelerator. If you are selected, you go participate in a livein, week long program where you strip your business model right back to its basics to determine whether you have a strong foundation to move forward with. Your strategy will be pulled in lots of directions, tested, challenged and built up by the Spark* team and other entrepreneurs in the program. We also provide you with training in a whole range of areas to help you grow your business including pitching, raising funds and investment, how to lead and manage your team, acquire customers and build your brand. By the end of the week you will pitch your idea to a room full of investors, partners, philanthropists and potential clients. There is no charge to attend the accelerator.
Support
After the Accelerator Spark* provides twelve months of rapid support to help you move forward with the momentum you take out of the accelerator. There is no cost to you for this support and over the year you get access to:
- Our graphic design and web team that help you build you brand and online presence.
- Strategy mentoring with our business strategy advisers, all of who have built impact enterprises in your country or around the world.
- Rounds of quick grants ($500 Australian dollars per grant) which you can use to test ideas to help you prove your model and grow your venture.
- Our legal and accounting partners that provide pro-bono support to you and your venture.
Grow
The best Spark* entrepreneurs move into the growth, where we provide larger amounts of support to help you grow a model that have proven in the startup phase. At this level you can access larger grants of $25,000 Australian dollars, are connected directly to our investor partners and our team work closely with you to strategise specific approaches that will help you dramatically increase your impact and sustainability. Approximately one in every 25 Spark* entrepreneurs gets through to this stage, so it is very competitive.
What kind of entrepreneurs are we looking for?
Selection to get into Spark* is always very competitive and you can expect that at least ten people will apply for every position. What we are looking for is very specific:
1. That you are an entrepreneur: You have come up with an idea that is different and has real potential to make a difference.
2. That you understand the context you are working in: We look for people who are born in the country they work in, or have at least spent years working there.
3. That you have started: You have to have launched your venture and it needs to have its first customer. If it is just an idea, we encourage you to get out there, get started and then apply.
4. That you are in startup: The entrepreneurs that we back have usually impacted less than 100 people in a significant way. We love supporting entrepreneurs who are in their early stages of a great idea.
5. That you are improving lives: At the end of the day, we exist to improve the lives of people living in poverty. If you believe that your venture is improving the lives of people living in poverty, then we encourage you to apply. If you don’t hit all of these criteria perfectly, we still encourage you to apply as you may still be considered.
How are we different?
1. We don’t charge you: Many entrepreneurship programs charge you to take part. We run our own companies in Australia that bring in revenue to allow us to do what we do. So if you are successful in becoming a Spark* entrepreneur, you get all of the support we provide for free.
2. We don’t take a chunk of you company: We don’t take any equity in your company. Our goal is that because of our support you are able to change more lives.
3. We are all entrepreneurs: All of our staff and facilitators are proven entrepreneurs who have led ventures that change lives. So when we are spending time with you and supporting you, you can be assured that we know how it feels to be an entrepreneur hustling to build a company.
4. We provide best practice support: We are members of ANDE (a global network of best entrepreneurial support organisations), members of the VilCap Communities, and have won a stack of awards for our work. We have backed hundreds of entrepreneurs, 90% of them have at least doubled their revenue and impact and seen hundreds of thousands of lives changed by their ventures (remember they have less than 100 customers before they come to us).
For more information, visit: www.sparkinternational.org
Source: www.sparkinternational.org 
Spark* SA (Owner)
