BiD Network presents two business plan competitions

[Seb Vlugt]

[To all African media professionals: Please feel free to publish this Press Release]

The mission of BiD Network is to contribute to sustainable economic growth by stimulating entrepreneurship in emerging markets. BiD Network supports entrepreneurs in writing their business plans by offering them coaching and other business tools. The best entrepreneurs gain access to investors in our network. Since 2005 BiD Network has helped start over 300 businesses and has matched them with over 5 million euros from investors.

Entrepreneurs who are competent, professional and able to sell themselves can benefit from the BiD Network’s services and participate in the process to secure funding from our accredited and prospective investors. If you have the ambition and ability to grow your new or fast growing business, investors can help you achieve your goals. Participate in our challenges.

BiD Network has now opened two business plan competitions: the Women in Business Challenge and the Access to Clean Energy Challenge. All participants will receive feedback to improve their plan and may access our coaching program and business tools. Whether or not a participant becomes a finalist, all high quality business plans are eligible for the BiD Network Investor Matchmaking Services.

For both competitions, the deadline for submitting your full business plan is the 15th of January 2010.

Women in Business Challenge

This Challenge aims to support women entrepreneurs providing them with the assistance, templates, contacts and financiers to get their business started. Currently 23% of BiD Network’s business proposals come from women entrepreneurs; it's our aim to increase this.

Women anywhere in the world who want to start or grow an existing small and medium sized enterprise (SME) in a developing country are welcome to apply. You should seek finance in the range of US$ 10,000 and US$ 1 million and either already have a full business plan or need help in developing your business plan.

We will invite the 5 best women entrepreneurs for a business trip to the Netherlands. They will have the opportunity to compete for two prizes: best plan up to € 15,000 and the ING Retail Award of € 10,000 for the best retail business plan.

For more information please visit www.bidnetwork.org/women.


Access to Clean Energy Challenge

This is a business plan competition for entrepreneurs that deliver access to clean energy in developing countries. Clean energy comprises: wind, solar, biogas, hydro, liquefied petroleum gas, biomass and energy efficiency. Non-renewable energies are not excluded but the approaches to energy production, usage or financing should focus on established, affordable, reliable technologies that move communities up the energy ladder towards cleaner, more modern forms of energy.

The competion is open for business plans for these African countries:

Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, The Gambia, Uganda and Zambia

There is an extra sub competition which is only open for 5 East African countries: Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

We will invite the best 5 entrepreneurs of each of these Clean Energy Challenges for a business trip to the Netherlands. They will have the opportunity of being considered for more than USD $100.000 of finance.

For more information please visit www.bidnetwork.org/cleanenergy.

[Adibe Emenyonu]

Africa Bid Network is a good concept especially in an environment laden with poverty. I suggests that same opportunity be extended to people living in Sudan, Nigeria, Niger, Chad Togo, Benin Republic as poverty in the countries listed as beneficiaries is the same poverty and deprivation faced by those I mentioned. Thank you for your understanding.