Economically Transforming Communities
Community Enterprises programs aim to transform communities by providing knowledge, opportunities, and support resources to create jobs, revenue growth, and improve livelihoods among underserved communities. The program targets empowering youth, women's self-help groups, and cooperatives, running community enterprises in Farm to Market solutions, Solar agribusiness, and Environmental Conservation, where the assets are controlled, managed, and directed by the community. Since 2017, Tapona has supported communities and our beneficiaries have produced cumulative economic output. Through Community Enterprise - Farm to Market solutions - Solar solutions - Environmental conservation programs.
How we select our Co-Ventures Enterprises?
We have two approaches to our Co-Venture lab process. In one, we run a founder search based on our industry focus, agribusiness, climate solutions and circular economy, running a venture which directly benefit the communities as producers of raw material or services to their businesses. Our team works closely with them to build and scale the venture, and a financial partner who support the launch stage of the business.
In second, we work with collective or cooperative owned businesses in the industry focus that directly produce and sell their products or services, with a shared ownership structure, where profits are shared with members who directly support the business by producing raw materials or other products for the business and impact communities. We help them to develop co-op design model and strategy to launch and scale their ventures.
Example from Co-Venture Lab Alumni
Narropil Honey Enterprises
Narropil Honey enterprises is a honey producer and processor enterprise in Kenya, currently producing and marketing high quality liquid honey and bee by-products.
Peter the founder of Narropil knows honey is vital part of the culture and lives of Maasai communities, where he comes from, seeing the wastage of good honey in the rural communities, he founded Narropil to leverage this opportunity, he as trained and equipped 52 women farmers with beehive to tender to them at their homestead. Together with his team they harvest the honey from the farmers three times a year, he pays the farmer per kilogram harvested and he processes the honey for local markets. Narropil Honey prides itself in producing natural honey, using methods that are environmentally conscious and protective to the ecosystem.
Narropil honey goals is to sustainable produce and supply natural honey and bee by-products, while impacting the local women bee-farmers who supply their raw material to enterprise.
Peter Ole Mosiany
- CEO Narropil Honey
About the program
Tapona supports the growth, investment, and impact of new ventures by equipping founders and Coop entrepreneurs with business knowledge, expert mentoring value-aligned capital and Talent network, Co-Venture Lab is supporting new generation of entrepreneurs who are expanding ownership and impact businesses in sector ranging from agribusiness, clean energy, climate solutions and circular economy. We prioritize collective ventures that create wealth for women, smallholder farmers and other marginalized people.
What you get from the Co-Venture Lab Sessions
Program Dates
The Co-Venture Lab runs 4 Months program from February to June. The program is anchored by intensive online learning session, in-person events, with one-on-one coaching sessions from our mentors and small-group virtual discussion session. In June entrepreneurs close their program by presenting to Tapona community which includes investors during their business showcase.
Who should apply?
- Founders and coop entrepreneurs who have past concept stage and pursuing growth.
- Ventures with less than three years after building their enterprises.
- Designing an innovative solution pursing scalable collective model
- Humble, teachable, and accountable to their co-members and community
- Pre-seed founders that have a vision to scale by the end of year 2 post-program.
- Ventures representing diverse group of women, youth, and economic marginalized communities
- Ventures based in East Africa
We work to empower promising entrepreneurs to build profitable and successful business. Note that we are extremely selective program, so we recommend you be ready before you apply.
Our team uses the following criteria to evaluate applicants or search for potential founders:
- Economic impact: What is the economic Impact of the business? Does the business the potential to create a substantial impact for communities and its shared owners.
- Scalable model: Does the business model make sense with financial viability?
- Industry thematic: Is the business addressing the agribusiness solutions, climate change, clean energy, and circular economic sector to solve pressing challenges.
- Team with passion: Does the team have relevant industry experience? Are the founders passionate and dedicated to the vision and can they execute on their vision?
FAQs
FAQs - Who Can be Nominated?
- Businesses with an innovative solution pursuing a scalable collective model.
- Community enterprise focused on Farm to Market solutions, Solar agribusiness, and Environmental conservation model for the community.
- Leaders that have a vision to scale post-grant program.
- Economic activities representing diverse groups of women, youth, and economically marginalized communities.
- Ventures based in East Africa
Which kinds of co-op and community enterprises we support?
We support co-op and group businesses ready to unlock growth, build wealth, and impact their community.