Here’s an amazing funding opportunity brought to you by a very global organization. The Global Student Entrepreneur Awards, led by the Entrepreneurs’ Organization since 2006, are upon us, and candidates from all over the world are applying! The first level of the contest begins at a local level. You’ll be given the opportunity, as a young entrepreneur, to compete against your peers in the GSEA Kenya national competition. The winner of the local Kenyan competition will then qualify for the GLOBAL GSEA Finals hosted in Frankfurt, Germany, and will get an all-expense paid-trip to go and attend!
What does the global winner get? A 20,000 USD prize for their business! There are other great perks and prizes to be gained for those other impressive companies who don’t quite reach the peak, including continued membership with EO, free access to EO learning events, and other cash prizes. Whether or not you will win one of these depends on the ingenuity of your business as well as the quality of the pitch you give. You won’t be in this alone however, as EO Kenya members, who have started and grown vast businesses themselves, will be there to mentor you and support you every step of the way.
The requirements are simple. You must be an undergraduate student with a business that has made over KES 50,000 in the past 6 months, or that has received over KES 100,000 investment. The awards reward those students who have been brave enough to venture into the unknown, those who have already started their business, as the competition is meant to promote students that had the courage to take that plunge. There’s no doubt that we can all see what an amazing opportunity this is for all the student entrepreneurs out there!
As for the nitty-gritties, remember that the applicant must be the person that was principally responsible for the operation of the business. Make sure you consult the document below for more details on how the awards are structured and what the different steps are. When you’re ready, you can apply here, the deadline is January 5th 2017.
The GSEAs are EO’s way of giving back to the society at large, as well as a way of allowing EO members to learn about what great new businesses are being started, and what bright minds are out there that are potentially soon-to-be the new generation of EO entrepreneurs!