VIA Fund 2024 Investment Program

Description and Goal

Welcome to the VIA Fund 2024 Cohort Application for our new Investment Program! We’re thrilled to open our doors to a first cohort of the new investment readiness program, beginning this April. This program will combine capacity-building and the opportunity for funding, helping social enterprises to become more investment ready, and based on a final pitching event, gain access to the funding they need to push their enterprises to the next stage.

This unique 3-month intensive program is designed to prepare you with the skills and strategies needed to successfully secure investment in Armenia.

This program has a goal to empower social enterprises in Armenia, providing the necessary tools and insights for successful fundraising and business scaling. With a carefully built curriculum, participants will gain knowledge in Impact Strategy and Modeling, Scaling Readiness, and Financial Modeling through three individual modules. They will also have the opportunity to work alongside coaches and mentors to master the skills necessary for establishing a successful social enterprise.

Benefits

The VIA Fund 2024 Investment Program offers a variety of benefits designed to boost your social enterprise. Our offerings include:

3-Month Intensive Support:
- A comprehensive program including three intensive modules to equip your social enterprise with the resources needed to get ready for investments
- A dedicated coach to guide you through building an investment case and mastering pitching basics
- Personalized mentorship on finances, impact strategy, business development, sales and other subjects based on your social enterprise needs
- A pitching event which will showcase your progress to key stakeholders, presenting your venture directly to VIA Fund’s Investment Committee for potential funding

Support and Network Access:
- Ongoing support with access to the continuation of our support program
- The opportunity to become part of a dynamic peer group, encouraging collaboration, mutual learning, and growth
- The opportunity to increase your visibility through promotion in VIA Fund’s national and international channels

Embedded Impact Approach:
- Support identifying social problems to setting impact KPIs
- Tools and frameworks during and after the program, integrating learning into your strategy and operations

Financial Support:
- The opportunity at the end of the program to apply for grants combined with soft loans featuring a low-interest rate of 5%
  - Grants help boost capacity and innovation, while low-interest loans provide the necessary capital to grow and scale
  - Extended to only the most outstanding program participants, determined after the delivery of their final pitches

There is no guarantee for companies to receive investment from us or our partners by joining the investment program. Investment decisions are made by the Investment Committee after Demo Day. Investment decisions also depend on your compliance status based on our Due Diligence check and an investment case (pitch deck, impact strategy, and financials, which you will develop throughout the program).

VIA Fund and our co-investor, C-QUADRAT Ampega Armenia Social Fund, will be ready to provide the best investment cases with a maximum grant of 13,000,000 AMD and maximum 12,000,000 AMD soft loan (5% of annual interest) based on your case and investment needs.

At the end of the VIA Fund program you will have knowledge of advanced topics and a clearer understanding of impact business dynamics, helping you to strengthen the impact of your social enterprise in Armenia.

Timeline

Application deadline: April 17, 2024, 11:59 PM (Armenian local time)
Interviews: April 17-24

Target Group

Our investment program caters to social entrepreneurs in the growth stage of their ventures, who are ready for expansion and seek expert guidance in business development. These entrepreneurs must be committed to addressing pressing social challenges. If your social enterprise targets the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this program is meant for you:

SDG #4: Quality Education: Looking for solutions that revolutionize learning experiences, promoting inclusivity, equality, and sustainability for both adults and children
SDG #5: Gender Equality: Encouraging of mechanisms focused on reducing gender-based violence and fostering improved gender representation across diverse sectors
SDG #8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: Interested in training and employment models specifically designed for young people, individuals with disabilities, and other disadvantaged groups
SDG #10: Reduced Inequalities: Seeking models that pioneer innovative solutions, actively including individuals from underprivileged communities in economic and social processes
SDG #13: Climate Action: Interested in mechanisms addressing climate change-related challenges, offering sustainable solutions for energy, food, and mobility consumption
SDG #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: Seeking models and solutions that bring equitable development opportunities to remote communities in various regions of Armenia

Eligibility

We are looking for scalable impact solutions to help them grow and spread their impact in Armenia. What is important to us?

Your company has been legally registered and operating in Armenia for at least 1 year.
The company has a market-proven business model, with some traction in the market (such as sales and/or contracts).
You have an innovative and/or impactful business or operations model (product, service, and/or operations model which improves the lives of people from underprivileged communities in Armenia).
You have a strong motivation to spread your solution and impact to wider audiences in Armenia.

APPLY HERE!

VIA Fund was developed as a part of the EU-funded, Impact Europe-led “Collaborate For Impact” project. The VIA Fund 2024 Investment Program is made possible by the support of our amazing partners: C-QUADRAT Ampega Armenia Social Fund, Impact Europe, Whitt Family Foundation, DONOS Conseil, Hayg Foundation and Impact Hub Yerevan.

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