Venture Recovery Stories: Kahuto Pacific

Venture Recovery Stories: Kahuto Pacific

Kahuto Pacific are using drone technology to make a difference


Kahuto Pacific is an alumni venture of yher Pacific Islands. They exist to help companies, organisations, and government collect and transform data via GIS Mapping and drone technology to improve infrastructure, the environment, planning and much more. Through their technology they are able to survey in a couple hours what would take multiple survey crews a couple of weeks.

Kahuto Pacific is also helping to protect the Soga palm which is under threat of extinction in Fiji, using drones and GIS tools to help map this vital resource. The data captured will be used by Kahuto Pacific program partners to help implement more sustainable harvesting methods and empower farmers. 


What are some of the challenges you have faced during COVID-19, in general as an entrepreneur and as a business?

Our operation was severely impacted with national lockdowns restricting movement around the country. In addition, our services were impeded by Fiji’s Civil Aviation Authority placing a halt on all flying not related to essential services. With our existing client base (loyal, returning Business to Business customers) also feeling the brunt of COVID-19, we experienced a stark decline in projects and cash flow. Amidst the uncertain landscape, it was challenging to maintain staff morale. 

As an entrepreneur the biggest challenge was the uncertainty of everything around us, COVID19 – how long will it last? When will the borders open? How will the economy in Fiji be affected? What will the government do to assist Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)? So many questions, and not knowing the answers to all of them and trying to lead our company in this unique time was a huge challenge. We were constantly asking ourselves, should we close the business for the year 2020 to reduce our costs and spending and return next year? Therefore leading a team whilst trying to reassure yourself that everything will be okay is tricky and presents a challenge in itself. Also, since we’ve established our primary services after setting up the business COVID-19 made us think of how we would “pivot” or survive with our current services. The next challenge was then trying to decide what other services we could offer or how we could be supporting essential services.

 

 How has your business changed or evolved due to COVID-19?

Thankfully Fiji has now entered a period of COVID-19 containment – restrictions have lifted considerably, allowing us to resume work. 

COVID-19 initially seemed very gloomy and depressing for our business and I assume for many business owners. However, as we start to adjust to this “new normal” living with COVID-19, it has allowed our business to realign, reset and reboot ourselves through programs such as the ygap Re-Accelerator Program. 

Our business now has a bit more clarity of what direction we wish to move forward in. We feel that COVID-19 has allowed us as business owners to evaluate our business, customers, and services and has made us better for it. Our business is evolving through a few of our services and has also evolved through getting re-started again after restrictions have eased.

 

In your own opinion, what is the most significant change that took place with your venture in the past 3 or 6 months?

As a business we’ve had to regroup and retarget our approach, particularly our marketing push – identifying new audiences and sectors, bolstering our brand, and amplifying our voice.

I definitely feel that the most significant change for our business is that we’ve had time (forced time during lockdown and the quiet period) to re-evaluate our business, identify areas that need the most attention and time. The Re-Accelerator Program has allowed us to focus on one of areas that we identified, especially online presence. 

This process has allowed us as business owners to reset ourselves, and has given us more focus on the business than ever. So I think the change in mindset and being presented with the right tools, such as the program, has been the most significant change during the past 3 – 6 months. 

 

Why was this particular change the most significant to you?

Given the uncertain times, it’s vital we diversify our customer base, secure alternative revenue streams and grow our reputation. 

The change in mindset is allowing us to survive during this unique time and enabling us to discover news services and also focus on our areas of attention. 

 

What role has ygap played in those changes and / or what are some outcomes your venture has achieved as a result of being supported by ygap and/or participating in the re-accelerator?

The Re-Accelerator Program is helping us enhance our brand and rejuvenate our online platform – a new website, improved content, a more holistic online marketing strategy and tactics. 

This program has played a significant role in providing a platform not only to improve our online presence and branding but through the process of rejuvenating our online presence. It has reminded us of our ‘why’ and made our identity stronger and clearer. 

The assistance provided through the program has been immensely helpful for us as business owners. It’s taken us back to the foundations of our businesses and has helped us make it a firmer foundation! 

Since the program started we have been able to solidify our branding as a company, identify the best way to capture content for our website and explore many ways for improving our marketing. 

I just want to emphasize that although the outcome of the program will be a new website and improving our online presence, the biggest outcome I will take from the program is it has allowed me to establish our why, and has made it clear for us on how to move forward.

Is there anything you’re finding particularly enjoyable and/or valuable during the process?

The process has been simply amazing. It allowed us to identify our weaknesses and then it helped us strengthen a particular weakness. Being able to look at it from that point of view and then seeing the progress from the start has been great for myself. Talei has been absolutely outstanding and is so knowledgeable in this area, I feel very confident that we will achieve the outcome we want. 

The 1 on 1 sessions are extremely beneficial as they allow us to share our thoughts and then worked with our scrambled thoughts and arranged it to make sense!

 

How do you see these outcomes improving your venture over the next 6-12 months?

Identity/Our Why

  • Solidifying our identity through our branding and reminding us of our why will steer us in the right direction for our business. Having a clear vision of how we see ourselves as a company will then provide a clear path of where we want to go. 

Online Presence/Branding/Website/Marketing

  • The program has taught us so much and in particular of how we view our website and that it’s the hub of all our online presence. Knowing this will help us develop content and drive our online presence through our website. Our rejuvenated website will help us drive our quotes through the website and hopefully convert them to sales. That is the dream!

 

What does the future of your venture look like post COVID-19?

In terms of branding, we are much stronger now as who we are and how we present ourselves to our clients. Our future is still uncertain as we have no idea how long COVID-19 will last and when we move into “post COVID!” – but we feel somewhat confident that through focusing on our branding and making certain pivots, we will be able to survive!

 

Do you have any advice you’d like to offer other entrepreneurs in regards to adapting/coping during a pandemic?

It’s all in the mindset! 

 

How likely would you be to recommend other early-stage impact entrepreneurs to look to programs like ygap for support to help grow their ventures? Also why? 

100%

ygap focuses on the process and encourages you to think of your WHY? Knowing and identifying this brings clarity of how you will move forward as an entrepreneur. 


Kahuto Pacific is a yher Pacific Islands alumni, and recently completed the ygap Re-Accelerator Program, designed to support ventures through the effects of COVID-19.

To learn more about Kahuto Pacific, head to https://www.kahutopacific.com/


Founder Resiliency Stories: Pick Up Mtaani

Founders Resiliency Stories:

Pick Up Mtaani

Pick Up Mtaani is adapting to COVID-19 conditions.


COVID-19 and the restrictions put in place across Kenya to control its spread have had detrimental effects on small businesses and startups across the country. However for ygap Kenya 2020 Program participant, Pick Up Mtaani (formerly Drop Desk), who specialises in door-to-door delivery services for online businesses in Nairobi, the pandemic has created a growing demand for reliable and affordable delivery services across the city. 

“We have partnered with 25 other small businesses, where these strategic business premises can serve as drop off and pick-up locations in different residential areas of Nairobi.   This has allowed us to establish a presence in new residential areas and assure our clients of our ability to deliver anywhere within the city“, ygap Kenya alumni and Pick Up Mtaani founder, Robert Mwalugha remarked. 

ygap Kenya alumni venture, Pick Up Mtaani, is establishing presence in new areas around Nairobi with their door-to-door delivery service for online business.


The ygap Kenya team spoke with the founder of Pick Up Mtaani, Robert Mwalugha, about the impact of the pandemic on his venture, how Pick Up Mtaani is meeting increased demand across Nairobi, and their vision for a world beyond COVID-19. 

 

How has COVID-19 affected Pick Up Mtaani?

Pick Up Mtaani offers door-to-door delivery services for small, online businesses across Nairobi, delivering small parcels to their clients door step. Given the lockdown restrictions put in place throughout the city, a large proportion of Kenyans have turned to online shopping to meet their day-to-day needs. With a new found affinity for e-commerce, small businesses have been scrambling to find delivery partners to ensure that their products are delivered to their customers in a safe and secure way. At Pick Up Mtaani we’ve seen a spike in demand for our reliable and affordable delivery services.


What support is Pick Up Mtaani providing to those affected by COVID-19?

Pick Up Mtaani is helping small, online businesses across Nairobi meet the growing demands for e-commerce and online shopping in light of the COVID-19 restrictions. By offering reliable and affordable door-to-door delivery services, the venture is ensuring that those across Nairobi can shop online without having to risk going out into public to pick up their shopping. 

 

What have been the challenges you’ve faced?

From a growth perspective, we’ve had to face a lack of appropriate storage bags to facilitate an increase in delivery of packages at the pick up locations. Whilst the restrictions have made more people shop online, we’re also seeing Kenyans experiencing reduced incomes in light of the economic consequences of COVID-19 and this has negatively affected the amount of shopping they’re doing online. 

What are the key ingredients for overcoming challenges?

For Pick Up Mtaani, the key ingredient to overcoming challenges has been reaching out for strategic advice, identifying specific action plans required, prioritizing them in line with resources available, and taking the bold step of strategy implementation. 

To help the venture pivot, Robert has reached out to the ygap Kenya team for support. The venture has received legal, strategic and financial support to facilitate this growth and to acquire the appropriate storage bags for efficient package deliveries. 

 

How have you been able to adapt so fast in the face of a pandemic?

We’ve been able to partner with 25 other small businesses, where these strategic business premises can serve as drop off and pick-up locations in different residential areas of Nairobi. This has allowed Pick Up Mtaani to establish a presence in new residential areas and assure their clients of their ability to deliver anywhere within the city. 

 

What does a post COVID-19 world look like for Pick Up Mtaani?

We will see a shift in the way people shop for personal goods, and retailers who provide a tech enabled, multi- channel approach will gain a larger share. Consumers have demonstrated a massive trial and adoption of these purchase methods over the past seven weeks. Therefore in a post COVID-19 world, online shoppers will demand a combination of speed, value and convenience moving forward. 


Pick Up Mtaani helps small, online businesses deliver their products to their customers by providing an affordable and reliable last mile delivery service. In the last 12 months, they’ve partnered with over 50 online businesses across Kenya and have delivered over 13,000 packages. For more information on Pick Up Mtaani: https://www.pickupmtaani.co.ke/

Pick Up Mtaani founder Robert Mwalugha is a participant in the ygap Kenya 2020 Program.


Founder Resiliency Stories: Mama's Mushrooms

Founders Resiliency Stories:

Mama's Mushrooms

Fanny Fiteli, Founder of Mama’s Mushrooms.


The outbreak of COVID-19, compounded with cyclones, has presented a number of unique challenges for the Pacific Islands region. However,yher Pacific Islands alumni venture, Mama’s Mushrooms, is continuing to support female mushroom farmers by developing a new product line to meet the demand of the Fiji market.

“We decided to try dried mushrooms as an alternative product but also as an alternative to storage and product longevity and tested this. It was a hit. Our Naitasiri farms are now selling dried oyster Mushrooms for $40/kg!” remarked yher Pacific Islands alumni and Mama’s Mushrooms co-founder, Fanny Fiteli.


The yher Pacific Islands team spoke with the founder of Mama’s Mushrooms, Fanny Fiteli, about the impact of the pandemic and cyclones on her venture, how Mama’s Mushrooms is continuing to upskill single mothers in mushroom farming by developing a new product line, as well as Fanny’s vision for a world beyond COVID-19. 

 

How has Covid-19 affected Mama’s Mushrooms?

With national travel restrictions and curfews in place, scheduled training to increase farms and production has been postponed. And with Mama’s Mushrooms headquartered in the city of Lautoka, a temporary lockdown zone with no travel in or out, distribution has been severely disrupted – they are only able to supply customers within the area. And with tourism at a standstill, orders from hotels and restaurants have dried up significantly. 

Compounding these challenges have been Fiji’s cyclone season, with January’s training postponed due to Cyclones Sarai and Toni. The recent wrath of Tropical Cyclone Harold has left their internal grow house severely damaged.

 

What support is Mama’s Mushrooms providing in response to COVID-19?

However there is good news – domestic demand is still strong and by developing a new product line, Mama’s Mushrooms is pivoting to meet the market.

Since February, they have been working with Naitasiri farmers to produce dried mushrooms, using natural sun drying methods. Originally released to their domestic consumer base as a retail product, the line garnered welcome interest. 

Now, with the short shelf-life of fresh mushrooms struggling with COVID-19’s disrupted supply chain, Mama’s Mushrooms has doubled-down on the development and marketing of this line. Working with supermarkets, they are exploring a bulk, wholesale provision. And market research suggests strong potential as an import replacement for Fiji’s vegan/vegetarian market, who previously purchased overseas goods from local supermarkets. 

What have been the challenges you’ve faced?

When we received the word of our first COVID 19 positive case – we were worried and first thought of our safety and the safety of our children. We were also placed on lockdown and could not move out of the region we operate in called Lautoka for 2 weeks which made doing business very difficult. What resulted was that we used our 2 supplementary indoor farms to supply within the lockdown area and our Naitasiri farms to supply our Nadi market. Even this was really difficult to manage. Because crops were growing in Naitasiri, we decided to try dried mushrooms as an alternative product but also as an alternative to storage and product longevity and tested this. It was a hit. Our Naitasiri farms are now selling dried oyster Mushrooms for $40/kg. The challenge was trying to market this while on lockdown. We got creative and invited our repeat customers to give it a try. Now, 40% of them are repeat dried mushroom fans.

 

What are the key ingredients for overcoming challenges?

Always trusting and believing in yourself and knowing that you have the power to make all the important decisions and that every step needs peer support, positivity and ability. Never say that something is impossible.

 

How have you been able to adapt so fast in the face of a pandemic?

Aligned to their overall strategy, Mama’s Mushrooms were already trialing production and market testing dried mushrooms as means to diversify risk and capture market share. This foundation in place created an opportunity to scale and commercialise relatively quickly.

 

What does a post covid-19 world look like for Mama’s Mushrooms?

Beyond COVID-19, we envision a business growth spurt with the increasing demand for mushrooms as a vegan protein option. Already we are being inundated with orders for a weekly supply and delivery for individuals who have a vegan/vegetarian diet and who previously accessed their mushroom supplies through supermarket imports. We also expect to see an increase in our business customers. 

We want to help establish 2000 Mama’s Farms within the country over the next three years, spanning across three islands. They also intend to replicate the Mama’s Mushroom model in other regional countries like PNG, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.


Mama’s Mushrooms is a for-profit social enterprise helping women to improve their finances and access quality healthcare and education through micro-farming in mushrooms. To find out more information about Mama’s Mushrooms, visit their website here. 

Founded by Fanny Fiteli, Mama’s Mushrooms participated in the 2019 yher Pacific Islands program.


ygap Newsletter - September 2019

ygap Newsletter - September 2019


Note from our CEO

Hello ygap Community!

To date, we have supported 532 impact ventures across Africa, Asia, the Pacific and here in Australia and through them, have positively impacted the lives of close to 1M people experiencing poverty.

Through our work, we learned that one of the root causes of violence against children is poverty.

Tomorrow is the official launch date of our Polished Man Campaign, sixth year running, and I couldn’t be more proud of the work of the team and their efforts.

It is through the commitment of the thousands of Polished Men and Women that we are able to continue to deliver the work that we do and help the most vulnerable members of our community, children.

Show your support by spreading the word, donating and signing up to the Polished Man 2019 Campaign.

From the impact arm of our work, we are thrilled to announce the successful completion of the third First Gens Program. This means 36 refugee and migrant-led social impact ventures have now gone through the program and are growing their impact for the local communities here in Australia. 

This Thursday, 3rd October, we will see the most recent First Gens cohort take the stage and pitch their start-ups, to not only celebrate their progress but also for their chance to win a cash prize on the night. 

I invite you to join us for this inspiring evening held at Goods Shed, Docklands, Victoria, where we will also have a really exciting announcement about the future of the program – RSVP your spot here.  

As always, I thank you for your ongoing support and until next time, we will be right here Backing Local Change. 

Manita Ray 

Support ygap

Together We Can End Violence For Good

We believe in a world where no child suffers from violence, because it shouldn’t hurt to be a child, and we all have the power to change this. 

 

Thanks to your support in 2018 we raised $1,701,764 and were able to channel these funds into trauma prevention and recovery programs for children who are at risk or have suffered violence.

 

Tomorrow is the official launch of Polished Man 2019 – help us make this Polished Man the biggest ever by signing up to polish a nail and take part at www.polishedman.com.

Support Polished Man

You Are Invited to the First Gens Showcase Event

First Gens, as many of you may know, is our program specifically designed to support migrants and refugee-led ventures here in Australia which are creating positive social change for their communities. 

 

You will hear from 12 inspiring social impact entrepreneurs pitch their early-stage ventures and ideas – to not only celebrate their progress but also for the chance to win a cash prize on the night. 

 

These individuals have committed their lives to create the social change they believe is necessary in our world, and we are backing them every step of the way. 

 

In addition to hearing these inspiring stories, we are very grateful and looking forward to having an impressive line-up of speakers taking the stage; Kate Cornick, CEO of LaunchVic, Judy Anderson, CEO of Startup Victoria, Jess Colgan, Director of yimpact, and Usman Iftikhar, CEO of Catalysr.

 

There’ll be plenty of time to network, however, spots filling up fast go ahead and reserve your complimentary seat for a feel-good evening not to be missed

 

RSVP via the link below. 

https://lnkd.in/g7HTcBG


Team Update - yher Pacific Program Manager- Talei Goater


With ancestral roots planted in Fiji, Talei has spent two decades managing multifaceted creative projects across New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands. 

Her immersion into the region’s social enterprise ecosystem began twelve years ago when she established a community-led textile label and then managed the first Pacific Islands presence at Australia’s Fairtrade Fortnight. 

Advocating profit for purpose ventures, blending traditional commerce, ethical trade and climate-friendly thinking into a stimulating tonic for positive change, Talei’s passion for the development of values-led business is evident in every part of her being. 

We are thrilled to have such a talent on our team to pioneer the yher Pacific Program at such a critical time in the Pacific Islands.


Where are they now?


Jane Khou – Bring Me Home

Problem

It is estimated that in Australia, 44 million tonnes of food are wasted annually, costing approximately $8 – 10 billion per year. When food waste ends up in landfills, it generates large amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas more detrimental to the environment than CO2.

It has also been reported that 3.6 million people in Australia have experienced food insecurity in the last 12months. Alarmingly, of the 652,000 people who receive food relief from Food Bank agencies every month, 27% are children. 


Solution 

Bring Me Home is a platform that connects cafes and restaurants that have an excess amount of food, that would otherwise be thrown away, to potential customers who are interested in purchasing food at non-traditional eating times at discounted rates.

Success

Bring Me Home’s founder, Jane Kou, joined the ygap family in May 2018 as a First Gens Program participant when her startup was just an idea under development. ne year later, Bring Me Home has rescued over 2500 meals from going to waste, serving thousands of active users and 100+ participating venues in Melbourne. They were recently listed in SmartCompany as one of the top 10 startups in 2019 and are in the midst of raising $1M to expand their operations and launch in Sydney by the end of the year. 

‘I want to take this opportunity to say – thank you. Thank you for offering your precious time connecting with me, supporting me, and most importantly, for believing in me.” – Jane Kou, founder of Bring Me Home, to the ygap Team. 

For the very first time, Bring Me Home is offering an opportunity for the public to invest in their mission-driven growing venture with an Equity Crowdfunding campaign .  If you are interested in becoming a shareholder of their mission-driven company fighting war on food waste – check it out!

Congratulations to Jane Kou and Bring Me Home – we are looking forward to seeing you pioneer the war on food waste!


ygap Newsletter - July 2019

ygap Newsletter - July 2019


Note from our CEO

Hello ygap Community, 

 

In July we ran our first Ending Violence Against Children Accelerator (evac). 

 

Poverty is one of the root causes of violence against children.  While we continue to work towards our vision of a world without poverty, we created evac to support some of Australia’s leading impact entrepreneurs who are dedicating their life’s work to ending violence experienced by children here in Australia right now. 

 

It is confronting to read the reality of the statistics about the rate of violence against children here in Australia. We are one of the more privileged countries yet the issue of violence against children continues to exist. Most when confronted look away – but we don’t and neither do our entrepreneurs. We try to do something about it in the way we know best. 

 

We have all been children. We all know a child, Some of us, like me, have a child. We know how vulnerable children are and we know that no amount of violence against children is okay. 

 

It was an honour to meet and support our evac ventures. We cannot wait to see their work grow in impact and one day see an end to violence against children.

 

Thank you also to everyone who supported our yher Appeal last month. This support enabled us to  roll out our first full yher Pacific Program

 

Thank you again for supporting the work that we do, until next time, we will be right here Backing Local Change.  

 

Manita Ray

Support ygap

The First Ending Violence Against Children Accelerator

Ending Violence Against Children Accelerator 

Society is measured by the way we treat our most vulnerable members. If that is the case, Australia is not measuring up. Before the age of 15, one in six girls and one in nine boys will experience sexual or physical violence. Violence against children takes many forms: including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, and may take a more insidious form through neglect or deprivation. 

The impact entrepreneurs who participated in our first evac accelerator have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to ending violence against children through their ground-breaking approaches.

Hailing from New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, and Victoria, these impact entrepreneurs are tackling this pressing issue from all angles.

 

  • Rachel Downie with Stymie – Audience Vote Winner

 

Problem

Suicide is the leading cause of death in Australia for people aged 15-44. 

Solution

Stymie is an anonymous, online reporting platform implemented in schools and made available to the community. The school receives anonymous messages from community members and students alike regarding children and adolescents who have suicidal ideations, been engaging in self harm, been sexually assaulted, and been bullied, or are at risk of harm. The team trained to respond develops an intervention based on the information received, disrupting the cycle of harm. 

 

  • Chris Boyle with Commsync Foundation

 

Problem

Over the last decade the number of child abuse cases reported to the child protection system across Australia have tripled.

Solution

CommsyncAlert has developed a wearable technology which transmits live audio and location at the touch of a button or in response to a voice command. This alerts pre-identified supporters to call triple zero or respond in the way they see fit. 

 

  • Liz Walker with eChildhood

 

Problem

Minors in Australia currently have unfettered online access to hardcore pornography. The increase in availability of pornography is related to a rise in child on child sexual abuse, mental health issues, sexual assaults, distortion of adolescent sexual scripts, child porn addiction, and online grooming.

Solution

eChildhood equips carers and supporters of children with a full understanding of pornography and its detrimental effects. eChildhood also provides age-appropriate strategies and offers guidance on how to best support minors negatively impacted by pornography.

 

  • Ashlee Crane with Jasiri Australia

 

Problem

One in three Australian women has experienced physical violence since the age of 15 and young women are more likely to experience physical or sexual violence than older women.

Solution

Jasiri Australia offers two main programs: Self Defence and Girls Takeover Parliament

(GTOP). The Self Defence Program offers a comprehensive curriculum consisting of martial arts, de-escalation techniques, and psychological awareness across five levels. It is both preventative and restorative, with a focus on psychological healing and community building. Upon completion of the course, participants are invited to join the GTOP program, Jasiri’s leadership initiative.

 

  • Brandon Friedman with Elephant Ed

 

Problem

98% of students have said they feel uncomfortable talking about sex education and many teachers are forced to teach the subject with little to no preparation or experience.

Solution

As an outsourced provider with an in-house feel, Elephant Ed eases the burden of maintaining comprehensive, relevant, and age-appropriate sex education in schools. Elephant ed is reinvigorating the stale sex education of the past in three key ways: engaging content, a lively delivery, and relatable people.

 

  • Dayna Russell with Restoring Hope

 

Problem

Before their 18th birthday, one in six boys and one in three girls will experience sexual abuse in Australia. When these boys and girls are first brought to the authorities, they often have their clothing and personal items removed for forensic testing.

Solution

While Restoring Hope recognises that they are not in the position to eradicate sexual abuse itself, they are able to provide immediate support and care to survivors. Restoring Hope provides crisis care packs to victims of sexual abuse which can enable them to begin their healing journey as soon as possible.

Find Out More About evac

yher Pacific Accelerator

After the success of the yher Appeal, our team in the Pacific launched the first fully-scaled yher Pacific Program in mid-july. Following an extensive recruitment drive, we selected 11 local female impact entrepreneurs from Fiji, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Tonga. 

Their impact ventures were chosen for their impressive contribution towards achieving the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

After the program, Audrey Jean-Baptiste – ygap Program Manager and yher Facilitator – met with a number of the local Fijian and regional organisations to discuss how we can further collaborate to develop an accessible, inclusive and self-sustaining entrepreneurial ecosystem across the region. Audrey was also invited to represent ygap in the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) which is  Canada-funded project consultation on Catalyzing Women Entrepreneurship in Fiji. The four year project focuses on building a Gender-responsive entrepreneurial ecosystem, developing innovative financing mechanisms and creating an enabling environment for ICT-empowered women entrepreneurs.

These are really exciting times for the yher Program and for our continuing involvement in the gender space, for further information feel free to contact audrey@ygap.org.

 


Where are they now?


Our ygap impact entrepreneurs never cease to amaze us with the work that they do. This month we (re)introduce Louise Williamson, ygap South Africa 2017 Alumni, with her venture Sustainability Professionals whose most recent impact figures are definitely worth your attention!

The Problem

36% of the rural South African population relies on wood fuel for cooking resulting in 36,000 cooks suffering lung and eye diseases from the smoke.

Solution

Louise developed the Mashesha stove, which has three benefits:

  1. Burns with a clean hot flame halving the fuel and cooking time.
  2. Using briquettes made from waste cardboard reducing waste and pollution.
  3. Creating a simplified production of the briquettes allowing for work opportunities inclusive of people with disabilities.

Louise joined the ygap South Africa Program in February 2017 and received a $25,000 growth grant in January 2018. She set herself a benchmark impact figure of 40 lives, which has grown by a landslide amount of 1150%, impacting 500 lives at the most recent reporting period.

“ygap was the first business accelerator I attended and I really appreciated the assistance with fast-tracking on learning how to set up a business model, learn how to pitch, and most especially how generous ygap was with sharing success stories and failures of entrepreneurs so that we could learn from their experiences and guidance.’’- Louise Williamson


ygap Newsletter - June 2019

ygap Newsletter - June 2019


Note from our CEO

Hello ygap community,


It is with great honour and gratitude that I mark my first 12 months as CEO of ygap. It has by no means been an easy year  (we don’t do easy at ygap!) but together with my incredible team and our partners, we are ready to charge in to the new financial year. 

Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to ygap as we continue to expand and grow our impact in the regions that need it most. We are so proud of the achievements over the past year and look forward to sharing our annual impact report with you shortly.

Many of you would have noticed, we ran our first program based fundraising appeal with an ambitious goal of raising $150,000 towards the launch of the yher 2019 global Program.

This was the first time that we asked our community to support one of our impact programs and we are so grateful to see a strong commitment raising $143,433 for the emerging female leaders in developing regions.

It has also been full steam ahead in all other areas of our work:

  • We ran our third First Gens accelerator in Seymour, with 12 impressive migrant and refugee founders tackling local problems in their communities. 
  • We recruited six of the most promising social impact ventures which are focused on ending violence against children for our first  evac (ending violence against children) accelerator in July
  • We brought the entire impact team, board and impact committee together to start our work on our strategy for the next few years. 
  • We have just wrapped up the first part of the Gender Lens Incubation and Acceleration Toolkit Pilot, where 6 intermediaries from across SEA  appointed Chief Development Officer; Victoria Cosgrove, Campaign Manager; Carolyn Dimech; and Events & Ambassador Manager; Georgia Prescott.

Thank you for being on this journey with us! Until next time, we will be right here Backing Local Change.

Kind regards,

Manita Ray

Support ygap

Our Third First Gens Accelerator

After a thorough selection process, we recruited 12 of the most promising social impact entrepreneurs for the third First Gens Cohort.

It is a unique opportunity to see 12 individuals from all walks of life; different backgrounds, ages, genders and dreams, coming together under one roof to tackle some of Australia’s most prominent problems.

Their visions and ventures ranged from focusing on water sanitation to financial literacy, to employment opportunities. 

These inspiring entrepreneurs showed us the power of unity and collaboration as we dove deep into their business models. As much as we were the facilitators for them, they all worked in a peer to peer feedback and review model, proven to be the most powerful approach for redefining business models focused on social change.

The entrepreneurs have now been matched with mentors as they enter the support phase of the program in preparation for the Showcase Event later this year.

For more information on the First Gens Program, upcoming events and how you can be involved contact adelide.mutinda@ygap.org

First Gens 2019 Gallery

Our Third First Gens Accelerator

The Ending Violence Against Children (evac) Accelerator has been specifically designed to support social impact ventures focusing on trauma prevention and trauma recovery programs for children who are at risk of or have suffered violence.

Through supporting close to 500 entrepreneurs, we have learned that the entrepreneurs within the same sector, leverage from shared experiences, challenges and learnings. By creating an environment where they all come together in a peer-to-peer accelerator model, they have the potential to further strengthen their ventures.

We found six of the most powerful ventures in this sector for our first evac program:

We invite you to meet these entrepreneurs at our ‘Showcase’ on July 18th, to hear about the powerful work that they are leading in ending violence against children here in Australia.

Follow this link for more information about the event or contact sydney.mclennan@ygap.org with any questions you may have.


Meet our Newest Team Members!


What are we looking forward to this month…

– The yher Pacific team will be uniting in Suva, Fiji, talking to our local partners about the upcoming delivery of the program and other collaborative development projects.

– Our first ever evac Accelerator running mid-July facilitated by a long-term ygap friend and internationally renown superstar, Louka Perry!

– Simon Lee, our GM of Impact, coming home from holidays. #HurryUp


Her Story - Helping 1,000 Mothers and Babies

yher Story - The inspiring story of an innovative solution safely delivering over 1000 babies in the region that needs it most.

Imagine being eight months pregnant and preparing to go to the hospital to give birth to your first child, only to be given a list of birthing materials you’ll need to source first. From gloves to surgical blades, to disinfectant, these items are not easy to find in Zambia, especially when you are from a remote village, let alone from a low socio-economic background.

With more than 50% of the global infant mortality being concentrated in Sub Saharan African region, with a big part of the problem being a lack of access to sterile supplies.

Muzalema Mwanza was one of the 63 female social impact entrepreneurs who came through ygap’s yher Africa Pilot accelerator in 2018. Through her venture, Safe Motherhood Alliance, Muzalema has developed an innovative baby delivery kit which ensures safe conditions at the time of childbirth.

Her innovative solution has not only offered training and employment opportunities but has also assisted in delivering over 1,000 babies. Muzalema had a solution to a local problem, all she needed was someone to believe in her and back her.

This is one entrepreneur’s story of the success that comes with backing local change, there are 453 more stories at ygap.

ygap needs your help to support the launch of yher, a program specifically designed to support female-led social impact ventures just like Muzalema's.

ygap.org/yhercampaign

 


ygap Newsletter - April 2019

ygap Newsletter - April 2019


Note from our CEO

Hello ygap Community,

We have successfully piloted yher, our female-focused accelerator program designed by women for women,  across Africa, the Pacific and Bangladesh.

This year, we plan to go full-scale.

So this month the ygap team has been all hands on deck  developing our brand new fundraising campaign to support the global rollout of full-scale yher Program and we will need your support to make this a reality.

Our fundraising campaign will be asking our community to embrace an all-inclusive conversation about supporting all genders.

We look forward to inviting you into the conversation.

Check out yher – Partner with Us if you are interested in finding out more about our yher Program, read up on some of the yher entrepreneur case studies and see what the entrepreneurs had to say about their experience with us!

Until next time, we will be right here Backing Local Change.

 

Kind regards,

Manita Ray


First Gens - Applications Closing this Friday, May 3rd, Midnight AEST

We are recruiting for the next cohort of First Gens entrepreneurs! This is our third cohort and we are offering 12 migrants and refugees an opportunity to fast-track their early-stage venture.

Our program will offer training, mentorship, a community of inspiring like-minded entrepreneurs tailored support, micro-grants and up-to $25,000 in funding.

Our alumni have initiatives that work to reduce disadvantage in Australia across sectors in education, disability, legal aid, training and employment.

The best part – the program is completely complimentary.

The application only takes 10 minutes to complete and offers a lifetime of value and closes at Midnight tonight!

Find out more: www.ygap.org/firstgens

Apply Now

evac - Ending Violence Against Children Accelerator

Funds raised from the 2018 Polished Man campaign are supporting a groundbreaking new Australia-wide initiative – evac (ending violence against children) program will find and back deeply impactful social ventures focusing on trauma prevention and trauma recovery programs for one of the most vulnerable members of our community: children.

If you know of someone working in this space simply forward on this email and let them know about this new initiative which comes free of charge and asks for nothing in return.

We are simply happy to see that there are great initiatives out there aiming to help children, and we feel it is our duty to ensure they have adequate access to support to ensure their success and growth.

 

We are currently in recruitment mode, find out more: www.ygap.org/evac

More About evac

ygap South Africa Accelerator

Earlier this month we held our ygap South Africa April Accelerator where we spent the week working with 13 of the country’s best social impact entrepreneurs aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

With Education and Employment being the back-bone of the South African future prosperity – we were delighted to have 11 ventures supporting these sectors.

We look forward to sharing with you the progress and development of each one of these ventures experiences.


One Entrepreneur's Story

Huy’s Story

After contracting polio at a young age, Huy has experienced first-hand the challenges of living with a disability including being supported by disability support workers who have not been adequately trained to support his particular needs.

 

The Problem

Australia’s disability support workforce has the second highest rate of workplace injury. This is primarily due to a lack of training. Further to this, half a million people in Australia rely on disability

support workers to help them through their day.

 

His Solution

Enabler is a digital training platform for disability support workers. Enabler uses gaming technology so that support workers can have interactive simulated scenarios based on the needs of the people that they are supporting.

 

Theory of Change

By providing disability support workers with a more engaging and appropriate training solution, the number of injuries in the workplace will decrease. Further to this, by increasing the amount of adequately trained support workers, the support available to those living with a disability will be improved.

 

Traction

To date, 15 disability support workers have accessed training through the Enabler software.


What are we excited about for next month?

What are we excited about for May?

  1. Launching the yher fundraising campaign!
    Get involved, it is 2019 and it’s time all genders were finally treated equally.
  2. Selecting the third FirstGens Cohort
    The applications we have already received are incredible.
  3. Sharing the Gender Lens Incubation and Acceleration (GLIA) Tool Kit
    We look forward to working with other accelerators and incubators in creating an all-inclusive ecosystem.
  4. The outcome of our first ever Co-Design Workshop
    It is our responsibility to ensure we are offering the best possible support for our segment focused groups, migrants and refugees being one


On a personal note...

From everyone in our team, I want to acknowledge the horror of the attacks that happened across Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday and send my love and support to anyone in our community or extended community who may have been affected.

Let’s keep working together courageously and continue to make a better world.


ygap Newsletter - March 2019

ygap Newsletter - March 2019


Note from our CEO

Hello ygap Community,

It has been a challenging time following the attacks in Christchurch over two weeks ago.

This attack struck particularly close to home. Many of my friends and colleagues are Muslim. And of course, this attack was in one of our neighbouring countries, committed by an Australian. For the first time, I shared in the fear that many feel every day.

This attack was close to all of us at ygap. Many of our global team and entrepreneurs we support, especially those in Bangladesh, follow the Muslim faith and this was an attack on those we love and respect.

ygap believes in the power of entrepreneurship and the power of people. We are not a faith-based organisation and we respect and honour beliefs across many faiths.

What happened in Christchurch was intended to incite fear and hatred. Yet what it has done is bring us together to be even stronger and to lead with courage.

True leadership is about making courageous decisions and leading through fear.  We see this every day through the work of our entrepreneurs: they fight harder in the face of challenges they face every single day.

At ygap, we will continue to back our local leaders and work through their challenges with them.

Thank you for continuing on this journey with us.

Kind regards,
Manita Ray


yher Pacific 2019 - Applications Open!

We began yher with the aim of creating a more feminine approach to accelerating social impact businesses and an equal platform. One that provides a welcoming space for women to come together, inspire each other, and most importantly address the unique challenges female entrepreneurs face.

The facts:

  • Globally less than 3% of VC funding goes to women led businesses.
  • 94% of decision makers at VC firms are men.
  • Of 131 corporate accelerator programs, 87% are run by men.
  • Women do 2.6 times more unpaid care and domestic work than men.

We aren’t just talking about these statistics, we are doing something about them.

So far we’ve supported 63 female led social ventures across Africa, the Pacific and Bangladesh.

In 2019, we are excited to be expanding our Bangladesh program to South Asia – and to introduce an improved support program including access to small grants, financial advice and mentorship, as well as exciting perks and support from our partners.

Right now, we are looking for the next cohort of 15 of the highest potential female entrepreneurs with a game-changing venture to participate in our yher Pacific Program.

Our Vision is a world where male and female founders have an equal platform to launch and grow their social ventures.

Apply Now

First Gens November Graduations and June Applications are Open!

The First Gens Showcase event was held at the Immigration Museum earlier this month. It was a full house of support for these outstanding individuals who have come to the graduation moment of a challenging, transformative three month training program.

We are offering an opportunity for the next group of ambitious, game-changing impact ventures led by migrants and refugees in Australia to participate in our third ygap First Gens Program.

The First Gens initiative supports migrant and refugee led social impact ventures that are improving the lives of people living in disadvantage in Australia. Successful applicants participate in an award-winning accelerator week, have access to a range of tailored support and have the opportunity to pitch for up to $25,000 in funding.

Applications close on the 28th of April and the accelerator kicks off on the 10th of June.

More About First Gens

Polished Man 2018 Campaign Report

Last year over 15K people were a part of a powerful movement of men and women who polished up, stood up and said ‘no’ to violence against children.  We’re so delighted to share with you the record-breaking success of the 2018 campaign that raised $1.7m.

Read The Campaign Report

Focusing on Gender in the Workplace

ygap are leading the development of a Gender Lens Incubation and Acceleration (GLIA) Toolkit as part of our partnership with Frontier Incubators, by working with over 45 global partners to understand best practices. We have developed over 80 highly practical and applicable strategies for intermediaries to apply across their organisation, program and ecosystem. We can’t wait to share this with you and, importantly, apply it formally to our work.


Speaking at the Social Impact Forum 2019

It was with great honour that we were invited by Matthew Boyd, CEO and founder of Vollie, to speak at the Social Impact Forum Rotary Event on the topic of how we are leading the discussion of gender inequality and inequity in the social impact space. The point we emphasised was: if we really believe in creating deep and effective sustainable impact, then we must make gender equality a top priority. Issues and statistics around this can be confronting, but by not addressing these we will cause further harm, not only to individuals but social impact itself.


“Are you talking to me?”- The Importance of Literacy

We had the opportunity to speak at the Vic Forum Event, by Polaron, about how ygap has a deliberate approach to designing and delivering our program so it is understood by entrepreneurs from non-english speaking backgrounds.

In Australia, we speak over 300 languages, practise over 100 religions and are the product of a unique blend of established traditions and new influences.

Literacy in entrepreneurship is critical if entrepreneurs want to create effective change. This is particularly relevant in our work – we exist to support entrepreneurs, most who come from non-english speaking backgrounds.

Watch Video

Leading the “Women Empowerers” Salesforce Event

We were invited to speak at a Salesforce event on the theme of Equality, titled “Women Empowerers”, with Div Pillay from Mind Tribes, Kim Anderson from SheEO and Jon Yeo from Tedx Melbourne.  

We discussed the power of supporting not only female entrepreneurs, but being deliberate about all genders, addressing intersectionality and what we are all doing to create an equal platform for the most marginalised in our community.

A big thanks to Salesforce for hosting an incredible panel and event.


ygap Entrepreneurs Invited to the United Nations?!

ygap has developed an exciting partnership with the Global Innovation Exchange (GIE), who are offering our social entrepreneurs the opportunity to attend a conference for the United Nations at their Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) forum in New York!

All ygap entrepreneurs are automatically entered into the Call for Innovations, which asks for change agents worldwide to submit workable solutions addressing Sustainable Development Goals 4, 8, 10, 13, and 16. We are excited to provide another opportunity for international recognition to the ventures we support! The GIE partnership will allow our entrepreneurs to be connected to exciting events like the STI Forum, along with potential funders and donors looking to back innovative solutions to international development.


Where are they now? - ygap Alumni ENDA

‘Harambee’ is Kenya’s official motto. In Swahili, it means “let’s all pull together” and is used to refer to moments where communities come together to accomplish something individuals couldn’t do alone.

Just like ygap, ENDA is all about Harambee.

ENDA was founded with a mission of bringing Kenyan athletic greatness to runners everywhere and fueling economic development in Kenya.  Their mission seemed impossible until a community of family, friends, strangers and ygap came together to help raise the initial funds needed to get their venture going.

Today, thanks to this support, they’re creating jobs, they’re giving portions of sales back to the community and they’re changing the way the world sees Kenya – by showcasing themselves as not only the experts at running, but also designing and manufacturing running shoes.

Today they need your support to launch their new game changing shoe, the ENDA Lapatet.

A $100 donation towards their Kickstarter will not only get you a pair of the sweet kicks, but also the pride of supporting this outstanding local Kenyan social impact venture.

Back This Project

What are we excited about?

  • Launching our new segment focused accelerator, EVAC
    (A special prize for anyone that can guess what it stands for…)
  • Receiving an influx of applications for First Gens and yher Pacific
    (Help us spread the word by forwarding on the email to anyone that might be interested)
  • Announcing a brand new fundraising campaign!
    (Yes it’s time we raised some much needed funds to help expand access to our accelerator)
  • Partnering up with a PR Agency to help us spread the word of our work
    (Currently on the lookout – help us out if you know anyone)
  • The official launch of the GLIA – ready to transform the way we manage the topic of gender in the workplace!


Ps. On a Personal Note….

I am first to admit that I was one of those people REALLY excited when I knew #FEARLESSGIRL was coming to Melbourne. For me, she represents who I strived to be my whole life (sometimes I succeeded, sometimes I failed) and who I continue to strive to be today. My kids were probably bored to death of me ranting about what she symbolised, but  my son got the pose down pat!



ygap Newsletter - December 2018

ygap Newsletter
December 2018

It’s been a busy and exciting end of year period for the team, both locally and globally. We had an incredibly successful Polished Man Campaign here in Australia, our first Kenyan Growth Hack, the yher accelerator in South Africa, the ygap Australian First Gens accelerator, the seed funding pitch nights, the Annual Impact Tour and much more! Earlier this month, we were also invited by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to go to Singapore to lead in-depth sessions around gender and power in the social entrepreneurship space during the Frontier Incubators workshop. Aaron Tait and I delved into the issues around power, privilege and bias and how these work to either oppress or advantage different gendered groups.