The RoC Incubator Program offers enterprises and entrepreneurs support to adopt circular economy principles, approaches and strategies into their business. It will provide the incubatees (selected enterprises) with guidance to design and develop circular solutions and a circularity-led business plan.
The RoC Incubator Program comprises two phases. The first phase of the RoC Incubator Program – ideation and incubation, will be for eight months. There will be upto 11 masterclasses and one-on-one coaching sessions every month. At the end of this period, the incubatees are expected to “graduate” from the program. The second phase of the RoC Incubator Program – pre-acceleration, will be for three months, post phase one. In this phase, between one-two incubates from the cohort will move to the pre-acceleration phase. Moving forward will depend upon their need, interest and those who will benefit most from additional access to finance to grow/scale their business models.
The main objective of the RoC Incubator Program is to capacitate 10 enterprises in the Bagmati Province to develop circular business models. Each enterprise will receive financial support in the form of a pre-seed fund during the program. The Program will prioritize startups and MSMEs led by women, youth and marginalized groups such as underrepresented communities and ethnicities (dalit, LGBTQIA+ amongst others) fostering their active participation in the change process.
Why apply for the RoC Incubator Program?
The selected incubates will have the following benefits:
1. Financial support: The selected 10 enterprises will receive a pre-seed fund that will allow them to boost their circular solutions and business model (about EUR 2,777 per enterprise
2. Masterclasses: The selected 10 enterprises will be capacitated through monthly masterclasses that focus on contextualiaing circular economy, its strategies, circular finance and business plan development. The masterclasses are curated based on the curriculum of the RoC Incubator Program. They are mentioned below:
- Month 1: Introduction to Circular Economy
- 1.1: Developing A Circular Mindset
- Month 2: Circular Finance
- Month 3: Circular Strategy
- 3.1: Stakeholder/Ecosystem Mapping
- 3.2: Visibility and Branding
- Month 4: Sustainable Practices
- 4.1: GEDSI Workshop
- Month 5: Circular Business Models
- Month 6: Business Plan Development
- Month 7: Reflection & Planning
3. Coaching Sessions: Monthly one-on-one business, financial and technical coaching sessions to guide the selected 10 enterprises to meet company milestones.
4. Networking and collaboration: The selected 10 enterprises will get the opportunity to meet, build connections with IHK’s network of industry experts, institutions and technical consultants through which they can enhance their business with exposure to potential markets.
Selection Process
The RoC project will be selecting 10 incubatees per cohort. There will be two rounds of selection, the first round selection will be conducted internally by the RoC project team based on the information submitted in the application form. The first round of scoring will be done on the basis of the selection criteria (i.e. eligibility criteria and evaluation criteria) provided below. During the scoring process the applicants may also receive a call from the team for clarification and/or reference check. The top 15 applicants will be selected from the first round of scoring and will be invited for in-person interviews. Please note that if you did not receive an email from the project team, you are not selected for the second round.
The second round of selection will be conducted by an interview panel of experts who have experience in business incubation, circular business models, engineering and product development, diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI), environment and climate change. The interviews will be based on the information requested in the application form. After the in-person interviews 10 applicants will be selected for the incubation program. Please note that the selected candidates from the second round are informed regarding the onboarding process through an email and follow up call. Those who are not selected will receive an email from the project team.
Eligibility Criteria
Registered startups and MSMEs in Bagmati province beyond the ideation phase and in operation are eligible to apply. Priorities will be given to:
1. Enterprises
Startups and MSMEs from all business sectors are eligible to apply (except for trading businesses).
2. Registration status
Startups and MSMEs that are registered according to the laws of the Government of Nepal.
3. In operation
Applications from the startups and MSMEs that are in operation for minimum six months to one year across the Bagmati Province.
4. Location
The business must be located in Bagmati Province.
5. Previous Participation
New applicants are encouraged to apply. Enterprises that have participated in IHK incubator programs over the last two years will not be eligible.
6. Application Form Completion
The applicant needs to comply with the application process to be considered for selection. This includes the completed application form (address all questions) and provide all the required information.
7. Products & Services
Applicants whose products and services are introduced in the market with basic features (minimal viable product i.e. the product must have undergone successfully the necessary quality testing confirming it can be commercialised) are encouraged to apply.
