TechnoServe's entrepreneurship development and training programs help enterprising men and women develop the skills and resources they need to launch or expand businesses, while fostering a broader culture of entrepreneurship.

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Business Plan Competitions

Our national business plan competitions (BPCs) are carefully-crafted, phased programs that unfold over several months, with the help of local partners from business, academia and government. Applicants bring to the table a business idea and the desire to turn it into reality. All participants receive some training and networking opportunities. Those selected to advance through the program benefit from working closely with trainers and private-sector mentors. Judges evaluate their increasingly more refined business plans, eventually selecting the finalists (who receive post-competition mentoring, access to capital, and vouchers for business services) and the winners (who also receive seed money). Many participants receive ongoing after-care from TechnoServe business advisors.

Countries with BPCs: Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Kenya, Nicaragua, Peru, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Venezuela

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Entrepreneurship Training

Our courses and camps teach entrepreneurship basics to youth and adults, resulting in thousands of skilled and motivated individuals who can start businesses and lead their communities into a more prosperous future. We introduce youths to the ABCs of business through in-school curricula and week-long camps at universities and technical institutes, leveraging private-sector mentors and working hand-in-hand with capital providers. Our entrepreneurship fundamentals courses for adults cater to a wide range of individuals, including farmers and local micro-entrepreneurs. To ensure the program's sustainability, local trainers are trained and certified.

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Featured Work > Guatemala

Cultivating a Home-Grown Entrepreneur

Guatemala's business plan competition helps an entrepreneur expand a produce business that creates jobs and higher incomes in indigenous communities.

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