Description

 Nahdet El Mahrousa Association announces the opening of applications for the fourth session of the Creative Industries Program (The Garage) to incubate startups.

The goal of this course is to support and develop emerging companies in the fields of handicrafts and performing arts, with a focus on building strong foundations that enable these companies to expand and grow effectively.

 The program seeks to revive Egyptian heritage and identity by developing cultural and artistic community entrepreneurship

 This program is funded by the Drosos Foundation and implemented by the Nahdet El Mahrousa Association

Program Advantages

1. Providing periodic follow-up for a year by the Nahdet El Mahrousa team, which specializes in the field of incubating community companies

2. Seed financing up to 60 thousand Egyptian pounds Without Ownership Rights

3. Dedicated capacity building program for handicrafts and includes training on Finance, Pricing, Marketing, Content Creation and Product Photography, Supply Chain, Export, Packaging, Product Development  

4. A dedicated capacity building program for the performing arts that includes training in movement, contemporary dance, acting, lighting, and human rights. Intellectual property, cultural management  

5.  Link between the founding team and consultants and experts from different fields to support community projects in addition to presenting Financial and legal consultations all year round through the Business Support Unit of Nahdet El Mahrousa   

6. Opportunities for networking to create future partnerships (with companies, specialists Experienced, community project owners, donors, etc.)

7. Free workspaces in the El Mahrousa garage affiliated with Nahdet El Mahrousa , which provides shared and diverse work spaces (100  hours per month) 

8. The services of this program are estimated at the equivalent of 200 thousand Egyptian pounds 

Selection criteria

1.  Provide sustainable and innovative solutions to address societal and/or environmental challenges 

2.  At least one year since project activity began with clear scalability and revenue generation

3. The founders must be holders of Egyptian nationality and in the age group between 21-40

4. The number of founders should not be less than 2, and not more than 5 Individuals with complementary commercial and technical skills

5. One of the founders must be working full-time on their community project (at least)

Additional selection criteria for the field of handicrafts

1. Products from this project have already been sold 

2. It is preferable to apply the concepts of fair trade initially 

Additional selection criteria for the field of performing arts

1. Implement at least two events such as performances and/or services related to the performing arts or workshops Work  

2. Address topics related to societal change in its offerings and services 

Timeline

 Submission Deadline: December 28th, 2023

• Evaluating questionnaires and scheduling personal interviews: All forms will be reviewed according to the selection criteria referred to above, and those initially selected will be contacted during the month of January to schedule personal interviews.

• Training camp:

  • Intensive training for four to five  working days during the month of February on developing the founders’ community entrepreneurship skills and project business models. 

  • In implementing its training programs and workshops, Nahdet El Mahrousa Association follows the combination of in-person and online attendance.

  •  The program schedule must be fully adhered to, and any absence from the training days may negatively affect the final selection

• Cast and choose: The teams will present their ideas to the judging panel

• Incubation cycle: The incubation cycle begins, which lasts for one year, for the selected projects

Find application form here