What is the ELISA Business Scholars Program?

• The 3-day initial EBS training program brings together a cohort of high potential founders of Africa focused startups with bold business ideas and coaches, executives with real-world business experience.
• Each scholar is assigned a business leader as their coach for the one-year ELISA Scholars program. With their coaches, scholars attend an immersive training session led by business experts and industry leaders to advance their ideas, refine their business strategies, and create jobs.
• ELISA Scholars are trained to manage business financials, develop an investor presentation and elevator pitch. After the training session.
• ELISA Scholars continue to meet virtually with their coaches once a month for a year to ensure continued refinement and implementation of a business plan. They stay connected using the online ELISA portal.

What are the benefits of coaching with EBS?

• Gain business coaching experience
• Receive one year of professional and technical support from ICPD staff
• Strengthen ties to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Africa
• Co-produce an ELISA Confab Identifying high-potential start-up companies in Africa
• Share your knowledge, experience and professional expertise
• Gain recognition as an EBS Coach and Luminary
• Gain new knowledge from EBS Scholars and other coaches
• Receive complimentary registration for the ELISA Business Scholars training session and the ELISA Business Summit
• Expand your professional network and build relationships with your peers and executives in the global community of Africa focused startups and entrepreneurs and leaders with bold business ideas
• Enjoy the personal fulfillment of helping a top-quality student or post-doc transition to a career in industry
• Receive professional training relevant to business start-ups
• Refine how to design and carry out business plans
• Become an active participant in and gain recognition in the ELISA Business Network portal community

What experience is required to become a Coach for the ELISA Business Scholars Program?

• Real-world entrepreneurial experience
• Be at the initial training program in-person
• Ability to provide own airfare and lodging during the in-person EBS training

What commitments are Coaches for the ELISA Business Scholars Program expected to make?

• Attend an orientation call prior to the EBS training session
• Meet in-person with your 2 Scholars and attend the EBS training session (see program dates and locations here)
• Communicate with your Scholars virtually for one-hour, once a month, for 12 months following the EBS training program.

How are Coaches selected?

Coaches are generally experienced business leaders and they can also be academics or other individuals with relevant business expertise.

Once coaches have been identified, the EBS team provides them with additional orientation information and prepares them for the coaching experience. The EBS team also provides ongoing support for coaches as part of the program.

Coaches can be any ethnicity or nationality.

How do ELISA Business Scholars receive coaching?

With their coaches, ELISA Scholars develop a 12-month EBS Action Plan which includes goals and action items for the collaboration between the entrepreneur and the coach.

Scholars and coaches carry out their EBS Action Plan for a year following the EBS training session. They communicate monthly once a month by video conference and email, monitored by ELISA staff and the ELISA Portal, a web-based tool that supports scholar-coach collaboration and communication.