Fifteen Akilah students were selected to attend the Accelerate Summit.

Earlier this month, 15 Akilah students and recent graduates took part in the 2017 Accelerate Summit, a three-day bootcamp for young and aspiring entrepreneurs to take their businesses to a new level.

Organized by These Numbers Have Faces, an international NGO that supports entrepreneurial talent in East Africa, this year’s Accelerate Summit brought together 150 young and high-potential entrepreneurs. Out of almost 350 applicants, 15 Akilah students and their businesses — or business ideas — made the cut for three days of business acceleration, collaboration with peers, and support from international mentors.

From how to give a sharp elevator pitch to the technicalities of writing a strong business plan, the Accelerate Summit took the promising young entrepreneurs through a full-scale, hands-on business acceleration boot camp.

“Our main focus is to give these young entrepreneurs a deep dive into really strengthening their business and creating a strong business plan. We are seeing such amazing things happening when entrepreneurs and international business experts come together,” explains Justin Zoradi, who founded These Numbers Have Faces in 2008. The organization started Accelerate Summit in Rwanda in 2015.

Learning from peers

The 15 Akilah students who participated in the summit were excited to network and learn from more-experienced entrepreneurs and experts.

“We are learning so much from successful international entrepreneurs who are here as mentors. They teach us how to grow our business and make it successful, and we get practical tips on how to expand, pitch our businesses, create new relationships, and attract customers. I’m already getting so many new ideas,” says Charlotte Usengimana, an Akilah entrepreneurship student who is launching an up-cycle shoed business while still in school.

Charlotte’s classmate Evelyne Niyomukesha eagerly agrees: “The coaches and mentors give us advice and new ideas — and so do the rest of the entrepreneurs here. We are all from different sectors, and often we can work together and supplement each other’s businesses and make them even more successful. We learn a lot about how to overcome challenges,” Evelyne explained.

Accelerate Academy

In addition to the bootcamp, one of the main purposes of the three-day event was to select 40 entrepreneurs for These Numbers Have Faces’ eight-month Accelerate Academy.

“The selected entrepreneurs will go through extensive coaching, training, and access to networking during these eight months. At the end of the Accelerate Academy, the top 20 will be selected to pitch to investors and have the chance to access funding and boost their businesses further,” Justin explains.

And the good news is in! Out of the 150 participants, three Akilah students and one graduate were selected for the Accelerate Academy. Stay tuned as we follow their progress in the months ahead.

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