Are you passionate about solving some of the world’s most pressing problems through innovative and sustainable ways?
Have you ever wanted to build a successful impact-driven business, but didn’t know how to? Do you own an early-stage business that you want to grow and scale into new markets and verticals?
Are you interested in being part of the new generation of impact-driven entrepreneurs?
Then apply now! Savvy is looking for you.
Available in 111 languages, Savvy is a global virtual Fellowship program for passionate and brilliant young individuals seeking to be part of the new generation of impact entrepreneurs.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent macroeconomic downturn, many have lost their jobs and are now living in an uncertain world. Savvy Fellowship is equipping these individuals with the necessary knowledge and skills they need to start their impact-driven businesses and succeed as entrepreneurs.
As a Savvy Fellow, you will be provided with the knowledge, skills, tools, resources, support network, and community to build a sustainable, innovative, and profitable impact-driven business.
Backed by the Roddenberry Foundation, the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, the International Telecommunication Union, and Because International, the Savvy Global Fellowship for Aspiring and Early-Stage Entrepreneurs has received over 198,860 applications from around the world since 2020, and has selected, trained, and supported 11,366 Fellows from 170 countries.
For 12 to 32 weeks, no matter what stage your venture is, the Fellowship program helps selected Fellows answer all the relevant questions that they need to kickstart their amazing impact venture, gain early traction, achieve product-market fit, and scale into new markets.
About the Fellowship program:
Some of the things you’ll learn as a Savvy Fellow include fundraising for your business, building the right team to execute your business strategies, building buzz around your product or service, achieving product-market fit, scaling into new markets and verticals, and building customer loyalty and retention.
E-Learning: Savvy Fellowship kicks off with a rigorous 12-week e-learning experience. As a Savvy Fellow, you will learn everything from ideation to scaling. Some of the things you’ll learn during the program are ‘understanding your customer’, ‘building a product or service that effectively solves their key challenges’, and ‘effectively positioning your solution in the market.’
Week 1: Understanding Your Customer
Week 2: Building the Right Product or Service
Week 3: Leading the Competition
Week 4: Understanding Your Target Market
Week 5: Drafting the Right Revenue Model
Week 6: Your Customer Acquisition, Activation & Retention Strategy
Week 7: Your Operations
Week 8: Setting the Right Business Structure
Week 9: Your Go-To-Market Strategy
Week 10: Building the Right Team
Week 11: Your Fundraising Strategy
Week 12: Securing the Right Partners
After completing the compulsory 12-week training, you can also take optional free courses in business communications (10 weeks) and product design (10 weeks).
Assessment: During the 12 weeks of learning, unlearning, and relearning, you can test your understanding by taking our weekly quizzes. The quizzes are a combination of multiple choices, Yes or No, and True or False. Assessments are the best way to identify your strengths and areas of weakness. Knowing your weaknesses helps you work effectively on them.
Peer Mentorship: They have introduced peer-to-peer mentorship, which was found very effective. The motto at Savvy is: “Be Your Fellow’s Keeper.” So, since all Savvy Fellows don’t have the same level of experience, more experienced and knowledgeable Fellows will help guide the others.
Expert Mentorship: Savvy Fellows get weekly expert mentorship from 1,418 renowned experts across various industries. The Fellows are expected to effectively transform all their learnings from the expert mentorship sessions, into meaningful and measurable societal impact.
Post-Fellowship: After 12 weeks, you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion to proudly share with your professional network. That’s not all. You’ll still find the Savvy platform useful as they constantly share weekly articles on impact entrepreneurship, personal branding, capacity building, and professional opportunities. So, your Savvy Fellowship account will be useful even after you complete the intensive 12-week virtual Fellowship program.
Savvy Prize: At the end of every year, Savvy Fellows compete for the $3,000 Savvy Prize, which seeks to recognize and support the efforts of Savvy Fellows working to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems through innovative and sustainable ways. The Savvy Prize comes in cash prizes, product development support, and marketing endeavors. So far, the Savvy Prize has been awarded to 7 Savvy Fellows.
One of the missions of Savvy is to bring passionate and competent individuals together to build sustainable businesses, or to foster strategic partnerships and collaborations between these individuals.
With that said, selected Fellows are encouraged to use the Savvy platform to find and interact with other Savvy Fellows, which could lead them to start a business together or forge a helpful partnership.
Eligibility:
The call for applications is open to aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs around the world. There is no geographical, ethnic, or academic restriction.
Savvy accepts new Fellows between the ages of 18 – 40, who can demonstrate in their application their passion to learn and create lasting change in their community (and the world.)
However, they consider applicants above the age of 40, with at least 5 years of work or entrepreneurial experience.
Application:
As at the time of filling this report, there is no application deadline. You can apply here.
