Why should you participate?

Networking: Diverse Teams

By utilizing our networks, including nearly 20,000 alumni participants in the I4A Initiative, we are well positioned to facilitate the creation of diverse teams, in terms of location, expertise, and cultural background. If you need, we can also help you bring new team members.

Beyond Single Project: Leadership in Shaping the Local Ecosystem - Strengthening and Creating Markets

This is your unique leadership and entrepreneurship moment - an opportunity to demonstrate leadership not only through proposing specific, innovative projects but to get actively involved in managing the initiative locally.

Capturing Best Practices and Knowledge Exchange

Although the Initiative is focused on Africa, we would like to invite you to share your local knowledge, particularly community based best practices, which may be beneficial for the implementation of proposals in Africa. Of course, we are mindful of the limitations of North to South knowledge exchanges; some of the best practices from countries in Africa could be equally relevant elsewhere, including underdeveloped communities in developed countries.

Capacity Development and Access to Knowledge

Based on our longstanding experience with the Ideas for Action Initiative, we will utilize different modalities to support capacity development and access to knowledge, both in person and online. This will include resources available at the University of Pennsylvania and other partners, ranging from access to knowledge, including Knowledge@Wharton and guest lectures, to locally supported events such as our Virtual Capacity Development Events (CDEs).

Mentors/Advisers

To support your idea, we will connect teams with those who work within the field and have years of business, policymaking, and development experience. This will include access to a mentor or advisor, either at University of Pennsylvania, or at other institutions across the world, who can serve as a constant sounding board and also provide referrals for other individuals that each team may reach out to.

Promoting your Work

In addition to providing substantive feedback from our accelerator and experts, opportunities to get new team members, and access to knowledge, we will feature your work at the Zicklin Center and the I4A’s websites, thus providing additional opportunities to attract strategic partners and investors.