A practical training program on business plan development to attract financing and grant competition of business projects in the agri-food industry are launched
The AgroKebety educational project, the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UCAB) association, and the MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation initiated a new opportunity to support and develop entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector of Ukraine and related industries.
“AgroKebety. Grow Your Own” is a practical training program on drawing up a business plan and gathering a document package to apply to investors and banks to attract financing.
Project objectives:
Teach young entrepreneurs the skills and knowledge required to develop and
implement projects in the agri-food sector that may be financed by banks;
Promote innovation and sustainable development in the agribusiness sector by supporting new entrepreneurs through mentorship, training, and resources;
Facilitate access to financing for promising agri-food projects and thus contribute to their growth and scaling up.
Program participation will include a competition of business ideas and current companies aimed at supporting and developing micro, small, and medium-sized businesses in agriculture and related industries. The course “AgroKebety. Grow Your Own” will include a series of modules and activities aimed at comprehensive training and support for project participants. The business project competition will be the second stage of the project to follow a practical online program completion and business plan drawing up.
According to Alex Lissitsa, Director General of IMC and President of UCAB, small and medium-sized business support is one of the priority areas to stabilize the Ukrainian economy and the general population’s well-being: “First of all, it is our contribution to regional development, where SMEs are the main source of income for local budgets. Therefore, we decided to launch the project “AgroKebety. Grow Your Own” for entrepreneurs. Its participants will be able to speed up their business idea implementation using grants or simplified access to credits after having received all the necessary information and advice. We are grateful to the outstanding team of project partners and sponsors and look forward to meeting the creators of new agribusinesses for Ukraine.”
The total financial fund for the project is UAH 10 million. The 10 best business projects will be selected by the Project Expert Council and will get monetary grants of UAH 200,000 each for their business idea implementation or the development of their current business.
Moreover, after successful program completion and business plan drawing up under expert mentorship, each participant will be offered assistance when applying to banks for financing.
“During more than 2 years of the full-scale war, almost 2 million new IEs and more than a million companies were established in Ukraine. However, according to the latest research by the Ministry of Economy, the UN, and the Advanter Group, 22% of businesses do not have access to credit funds, namely, the “5-7-9” program. This course is intended to raise awareness and train entrepreneurs, so that they are able not only to take credit for their business development but also to return it after scaling up,” explains Yurii Melnyk, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation.
The following are eligible to participate in the project:
entrepreneurs who already own a micro, small, or medium-sized business in the agricultural and related industries (farming, agricultural technologies, agri-tourism, gastronomy and processing, organic products, etc.);
those wishing to implement a business idea in the agricultural or related industries “from scratch”;
veterans, internally displaced persons, and participants of the educational project “AgroKebety” are welcome.
The project “AgroKebety. Grow Your Own” is implemented and supported by the following companies: HORSCH, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Raiffeisen Bank, IMC, and MHP.
“Raiffeisen Bank is a leader in financing farmers in the Ukrainian market. Since the very start of the full-scale war, the bank has not stopped its credit programs to farmers for a day. About 12,000 agricultural companies choose Raif every day. The bank promotes innovation development, helps scale up new businesses, and enter export markets. The bank also provides grants to veteran entrepreneurs within its “The Brave” project. Thus, it seemed logical to support a new project together with AgroKebety to facilitate the access of youth, veterans, and internally displaced persons to financing for their ideas. We hope that the seeds of entrepreneurship sown within the project will help the Ukrainian economy become stronger in the future and create fertile ground for the growth of small businesses,” adds Larysa Bondarieva, Deputy Chairman of the Board, Raiffeisen Bank.
To apply to the project “AgroKebety. Grow Your Own”, please FILL OUT THE QUESTIONNAIRE: https://forms.gle/7CTmhxfkiVQfpjCe7. Invite your business partners and colleagues to participate in the project. The number of participants, both in the training program and in the project, is unlimited. Participation is free.
Applications are accepted until June 1, 2024, inclusive.
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If you have any questions, please contact us by email: info@agrokebety.com