Village Capital and MetLife Foundation are launching an investment readiness program for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Turkey-based startups that are using tech to help low-income individuals and families manage their day-to-day finances, build short- and long-term savings and wealth.

The accelerator program is a collaboration between Village Capital, MetLife Foundation, and PayPal. The programme seeks entrepreneurs building high-growth, scalable solutions focused on the following regional challenges:

Gender inequality. The World Bank reports that 1.2 billion adults have secured a bank account since 2011. While there has been considerable improvement in global financial inclusion, this progress has not developed in all regions and sections of society proportionally. Of the 380 million people living in the Middle East and North Africa, 52% of men and only 35% of women have an account with a financial institution or mobile money provider, resulting in the region has the world’s largest gender gap, and some of the world’s largest unbanked populations. Women’s labour force participation in the region is also the lowest in the world, negatively affecting women’s economic security.

Youth Unemployment. 60% of the population in MENA is under 25 years old, and the region suffers from the highest rate of youth unemployment in the world, meaning that by 2025, an additional 20 million jobs need to be created in order to stabilize youth unemployment. A lack of stable income-generating opportunities also makes it difficult to build financial health, buy or rent a home, save, and build wealth – all of which are key enablers to economic mobility.

Access to finance for MSMEs. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) account for 96% of registered companies and about half of employment in the region, yet only receive 7% of total bank lending – the lowest in the world. An International Monetary Fund report shows that there is considerable opportunity to increase SME access to finance in the region, and doing so will result in greater financial inclusion regionally.

Digital Identity. Displacement patterns in the MENA region have become increasingly more complex, with many populations having been uprooted and displaced over multiple borders. The per-capita refugee populations of Lebanon and Jordan have become three to six times greater than any other country in the world, and many people throughout the region are living without the basic identification needed for access to fundamental services.

Entrepreneurs will benefit from Village Capital’s award-winning curriculum, intensive feedback from their peers, and connections and one-on-one mentorship with potential customers, investors, industry experts, and MetLife employees. Village Capital will cover the costs associated with travel and two participating startups will be selected by their peers to each receive a MetLife Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Grant of $70,000 (USD).

 Here is how you can apply for the programme

ELIGIBILITY

Overall factors for eligibility will include:

• Focus on addressing inequity: Solutions supporting communities facing financial health inequities based on race, age, gender, geographic location, income level.
• Focus on non-” HENRYs”: Solutions primarily focused on low-to-moderate income communities as end beneficiaries, as opposed to “HENRYs”.
• Focus on agency: Solutions that empower users with the agency over their financial decisions.
• Cultural and behavioural sensitivity: Solutions that use a creative, cultural, and behavioural lens.

Eligible startups must have:

• For-profit market-based solution that tackles a financial health challenge for low-to-moderate-income communities in MENA or Turkey
• Operations in or have the ability to expand the business to the MENA or Turkish market
• Have a minimum viable product (MVP), and raised less than $1M in equity
• Have at least one full-time founder based in the MENA or Turkey
• Have meaningful customer or business validation (not limited to revenue, can also be successful pilot studies, number of users, and/or strategic partnerships)

BENEFITS

• Top two (2) peer-selected startups will receive a MetLife Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Grant of $70,000 (USD)
• Ability to network and receive mentorship from potential strategic partners, customers, and founders
• Ability to network and receive mentorship from MENA and Turkey-based investors
• A diverse and inclusive network of mentors and founders within financial health and fintech
• Startups will receive a stipend for one (1) founder/C-suite member to travel to selected emerging fintech cities in MENA and Turkey for workshops
• 10-12 days of interactive workshops tailored to help your company identify early milestones and prepare for your next round of capital (if relevant)
• Access to an investment analyst who will coach you 1:1 on building a financial model, identifying unit economics, and on using financial metrics to drive both the business and investor diligence
• Participate in mock board meetings with representatives from financial institutions, corporates, fintech, and investors that can help your organization scale
• Exposure on Village Capital’s program website and other communications collateral

Village Capital has organised similar competition in other regions including USA, Latin America and Europe. You can now apply here if you area startup running in the MENA Region.

Thinking about what joining a workspace designed for business, could do for you and your team? Talk to our team – we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch.