Rwanda’s foremost incubation program

FAQ
You have an amazing startup idea and want to kickstart your entrepreneurial journey with the support of experienced entrepreneurs, experts, investors, and mentors?    We are here to support you!    Applications are opening soon!


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ABOUT SIMCUBATOR RWANDA
What can you expect during the bootcamp?

Training

From funding strategy to curating a pitch—our coaches will provide state-of-the-art training

Network

Tap into our global network of experts to kickstart your idea.

Impact

Learn how to build and monitor an impact-driven business

ABOUT SIMCUBATOR RWANDA
What else can you expect after the bootcamp?

Mentoring

Your team will be assigned an experienced mentor to help guide you to success.

Funding

Opportunity to receive funding from some of Rwanda’s biggest investors.

Investment-readiness

By the end of our incubator, your start-up will be ready for investment.

ABOUT SIMCUBATOR RWANDA
What will the 2025 cohort’s journey look like?

ABOUT NORRSKEN
The Norrsken House in Kigali

The bootcamp and the Final Pitch Day will take place at the Norrsken House in Kigali which was opened in 2021. Norrsken built this hub just for startups and created a unique space that you will want to come back to every day. The building consists of repurposed classrooms of the former Ecole Belge, which form the largest co-working space in Kigali. With over 120 companies working on new ideas, there is always something to talk about, and more ideas pop up every day.
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ABOUT SIMCUBATOR RWANDA
What are the selection criteria?

You are headquartered in Eastern Africa

Preferably, you are located in Rwanda and will be in Rwanda in person during the bootcamp and Final Pitch Day.

You are at a pre-seed stage

You and your startup/idea are at a very early-stage, preferably pre-seed. You do not need to have officially founded the startup yet but need to be able to provide a business model idea. If you are too advanced (i.e., solid prior funding, 8+ full time employees) your application will not be considered.

You aim to have a positive social impact in Rwanda 

You aim to have a positive/social impact with your startup in Rwanda in relation to one or more of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

You have a team with at least 2 founders/members

Your team should be comprised of a maximum of 5 people with at least 2 founders/members. We do not consider application from single founder.

ABOUT SIMCUBATOR
What has SIMcubator achieved in Bangladesh?

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

• Who is hosting the program?

  The program is co-run by simcubator, Norrsken and the Circular Economy Hub Africa powered by BESTSELLER FOUNDATION. Other partners are involved and fulfill a variety of roles such as mentoring or speaker roles.

• Who are Norrsken and SIMcubator, and how are we qualified to run such a program?

  Norrsken is a non-religious, non- partisan, non-profit foundation helping entrepreneurs building rapidly scalable businesses, aiming at solving the hardest and biggest problems, such as poverty, famine, environmental issues, mental health, and integration. Norrsken is building the biggest hub for entrepreneurship in East Africa in Kigali and has opened its “Norrsken House” end of 2021 aimed it to be a place for local entrepreneurs to connect. simcubator is a student-run social incubator, whose 13 diverse members have a broad experience in startups, VC, volunteering, and consulting. All simcubator members are currently Master students at University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

• Are there any specific industries SIMcubator focuses on?

  In the application, it is now mandatory for the startups to link their initiatives to at least 1 UN SDG, and provide explanation on how the UN SDG is integrated within their project. However, we do not set preferences for any particular UN SDGs during the review process.

• How does the program work?

  Please take a look at the explanation chart above for more information on what the program entails.

• What are the exact dates?

  The program will start with an intense bootcamp from 05/02-09/02/2024 at Norrsken – Circular Economy Hub Africa powered by BESTSELLER FOUNDATION in Kigali. After that, there will be a three-months mentoring phase  with an assigned mentor. Finally, on 03/04/2024 the final pitch day will be held again at the same hub at Norrsken House.

• Will the program be carried out online or offline?

  The exact details will be communicated to the participants in due time. However, please note the following points:

  1. As mentioned in (5.), the selected teams will participate in the bootcamp in person.
  2. During the three-months mentoring phase, regular coaching sessions will take place with the assigned mentor.
  3. The final pitch day will then again take place in person at Norrsken – Circular Economy Hub Africa powered by BESTSELLER FOUNDATION in Kigali.
  4. All local COVID-19 restrictions will be respected. SIMcubator and Norrsken will take the necessary measures to ensure the entire incubation program can still be conducted online if restrictions require it. These include but are not limited to:
  • Providing the selected startups with digitized content (e.g., information packets)
  • Providing the selected startups with access to videoconferencing tools (e.g., Zoom or Teams) and interact with them through those
  • Offer participation in workshops through videoconferencing tools

• How many teams will be selected to the program?

  Between 5 and 10 startup teams will be selected to participate in the program.

Selection Criteria & Process

• Can start-ups from all over the world apply?

  Startups should be based in East Africa. The team applying to the program should be present in Rwanda throughout the bootcamp and pitching day.

• We’ve already raised funding. Can we still apply?

  We would ideally prefer startups without funding as we are looking for pre-seed/early-stage startups. However, this shouldn’t hinder you from applying, as we will consider every application based on a wide range of criteria.

• How will the selection process take place?

  The simcubator and Norrsken teams will look at every applicant in more detail and select the ones that best fit the program as soon as possible based on a variety of factors like the applicants’ motivation or the social impact of the startup idea. Shortly after the application deadline, every applicant will be informed about the decision.

• How large should the teams be?

  The teams should be comprised of a maximum of 5 people with at least 2 founders/members. We do not consider applications from single founder.

• In which stage should the startup be?

  Early stage or even just in the ideation phase.

Other

• What happens on the final pitch day?

  On the final pitch day you will have the great opportunity to pitch your startup to a panel of professional investors, corporates, entrepreneurs, and other key stakeholders of the economic scene. You will leverage all the mentoring and resources received in the past weeks to deliver the most professional pitch possible to secure funding for the development of your startup. simcubator and Norrsken will together determine the winning team of the program/pitch day, as well as a runner-up. The winning team will be awarded a prize for their startup.

• Do teams have to give equity to the investors?

  Norrsken and simcubator do not demand equity from the teams participating in the incubation program. However, the teams can negotiate to sell equity to Norrsken and other interested investors on the pitching day.

• Will there be a prize for the participating teams?

  On the pitch day, the winning team will get prize money for their idea!

• Does it cost any money to participate in the incubation program?

  The bootcamp and the incubation program will be completely free of charge for the selected teams. The startups will be provided with the tools, expertise, and support that they need to finalize their idea for the pitching day. However, please note that we do not sponsor any travelling nor accommodation costs for the bootcamp and pitching days.

ABOUT SIMCUBATOR RWANDA
Who are we?

SIMcubator is an NGO run by students from the University of St. Gallen and backed by this institution. The NGO was founded in 2020, starting its first incubation program in Bagladesh and has now expanded to Rwanda.

The non-profit Norrsken Foundation is our strategic partner for this program. Having their headquarters in Sweden, they have just opened up their Norrsken House in Kigali and want to create the largest hub for entrepreneurs in East Africa.
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SIMcubator simcubator sim_cubator

Address

St. Jakob-Strasse 60
9000 St Gallen
Switzerland

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