From 15th June to 06th July, green entrepreneurs and businesses from Kenya can submit applications for the GreenBiz programme.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (Danish MoFA) and Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) have announced that the GreenBiz programme has begun. The programme will run for five years and will support climate-smart innovations to become viable and sustainable businesses. 

 What is the Green Biz Programme?

The programme projects that it will support 300 businesses to create over 3,000 job opportunities in the following sectors of renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE & EE), agriculture, water, commercial forestry and waste management over a five (5) year period (2021-2025). 

By focusing on these sectors, KCIC and its clients will, directly and indirectly, contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1 (no poverty); SDG 2 (no hunger); SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), and SDG 13 (climate action). Others are SDG 15 (life on land), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production).

The programme’s primary focus is to increase commercialization and scale-up of climate-smart innovations that create decent jobs, increased access to low carbon energy sources, increased community and household resilience to climate change, and other environmental and social benefits.

 Themes, series, and prizes

The programme targets two categories of climate-smart businesses as its primary clients. These shall be enrolled from climate-smart innovations that have developed a prototype and SMEs within KCIC’s five focus areas. 

KCIC shall manage the selection process. All the identified potential clients shall go through a vetting process to see the qualified ones recruited into the program. In contrast, others may be put aside for future consideration as they grow to meet the minimum threshold to participate in the program. The parameters will be communicated to the participants, and those that do not make it through will be notified with reasons for non-acceptance in the programme.  

 Key factors to consider on the eligibility criteria will include:

Sector fit – does the innovation business fall within the scope of the KCIC’s five thematic areas with a focus on climate change mitigation or adaptation?

Innovation – is the business uniquely innovative in the way it addresses an identified problem in the market?

Impact – does the solution meet KCIC impact targets (e.g. creation of direct and indirect jobs/ employment, access to clean water, increase in yield production, employment, CO2 equivalent mitigated, access to clean energy, access to off-grid power, social inclusivity to marginalized groups)

Scalability – does the business model that shows a clear and compelling mission to grow a sustainable and commercially viable business.

Progress to date – has the applicant taken critical first steps to move the idea forward? 

Once onboarded, the clients’ needs will be assessed, and given the required resources to support the participating climate-smart innovations. They will be enrolled in the incubation or acceleration programme and provided with services to help them commercialize and scale their climate-smart innovations.

What is the GreenBiz incubation programme?

This is a 12-month program targeting start-ups and early-stage businesses that have at least developed a prototype. The businesses receive intensive practical training and business coaching to prove their concepts in the market and progress towards commercialization—clients who complete this program graduate to the KCIC GreenBiz Accelerator Program.

 What is the GreenBiz Accelerator Programme?

This is an 8-month programme in which clients receive highly individualized services aimed at:

a) Setting the clients on a rapid business growth path.

b) Preparing clients to be investor ready as well as raising investments.

Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) is mandated under the GreenBiz Programme to provide access to finance to clients. KCIC will offer funding in the form of grant capital to clients with innovative and scalable business ideas under Proof of Concept (POC) and concessional commercial financing for high growth potential businesses through its Early-Stage Financing (ESF) facility. Financial support will be provided on a need basis in line with the needs of the clients onboarded into the program.

While the POC financing will be managed directly by KCIC, the ESF component will be coordinated and managed under Kenya Climate Ventures, an independent investment firm. KCV will provide the required investment expert required by KCIC to graduate POC businesses to the ESF ladder.   

To apply for the Green Biz programme, fill out the mandatory form provided by KCIC here.