Apply Now: develoPPP Ventures Ideas Competition for African Entrepreneurs 2024

The current develoPPP Ventures call for applications (May 15 to June 30) takes place in Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and South Africa. The application and selection process is supported by a team of local experts who will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Suitable start-ups to be funded through develoPPP Ventures are selected during an open call for applications. This takes place several times a year for six weeks at the end of a quarter. A new call for applications will be announced on the website prior to the start of the application window and is open to all start-ups that meet the conditions for participation. Depending on the target country, the funding contract is concluded with one of the two implementing partners, DEG Impulse gGmbH or Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

• Table of Content
• About develoPPP
• develoPPP Ventures Ideas Competition
• Requirements for develoPPP Ventures Ideas Competition Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for develoPPP Ventures Ideas Competition
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About develoPPP

With develoPPP, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) promotes private-sector activities where entrepreneurial opportunities and development policy potential meet. Companies that want to invest sustainably in a developing and emerging country and expand their local operations can receive financial and technical support under the programme. 

develoPPP Ventures Ideas Competition

Requirements for develoPPP Ventures Ideas Competition Qualification

• The company is registered in the target country OR plans to register there prior to the investment
• The company is privately owned and profit-oriented 
• At least one annual financial statement is provided 
• A viable business plan and a financial plan is available 
• The company is operative and has generated first revenues from operating activities (Proof of Concept) 
• The company should not have acquired more than a maximum of EUR 2 million in funding to date

Interview date, Process and Venue for develoPPP Ventures Ideas Competition

Assessment criteria

• Innovation: The business model is innovative with regard to the target country
• Scalability: The company has a high growth potential due to the size of the market and the target group
• Financial Sustainability: The break-even point will be reached timely (maximum within 3 years)
• Adequate Management: The company has the necessary expertise as well as management capacity and human resources to substantially scale its business

Developmental Impact:

• The business model has a significant developmental relevance
• The impact is measurable, i.e. positive effects on the target groups
• The company is contributing to reaching the SDGs by increasing local income, saving natural resources, improving access to resources and services, and creating decent jobs

Selection process

• The initial selection is made based on applications that can be submitted during regular calls for applications
• Women-led start-ups and start-ups promoting gender equality are especially encouraged to apply (refer to the criteria of the 2X Challenge)
• Companies passing this first stage will be invited to pitch in front of the DEG Impulse/GIZ selection committee
• Due diligence will then be performed on successful companies, during which more detailed information is evaluated (incl. the business plan and financial projections (for at least 3 years), information on other investors and potential customers, etc.)

Application Deadline

How to Apply

The develoPPP application process is handled centrally via a separate platform on which you can easily submit and manage your application. Your start-up wants to expand in one of the develoPPP Ventures countries and meets the participation criteria (PDF) Then apply for funding

The selection process for develoPPP Ventures is supported by the impact investment experts VC4A (Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Africa) and Greentec Capital (Ghana)

For further questions, the implementation partners can be reached at:

• Ghana/Nigeria/South Africa: [email protected]
• Kenya/Tanzania/Rwanda: [email protected]

For more details, visit develoPPP website