Who can participate

Who can participate?

In order to be eligible to participate in the Believe Begin Become Business Plan Competition a person must meet all of the following criteria as of 12^th of April 2007:

a)       Be a Kenyan citizen

b)      Be 18 – 35 years of age

c)       Propose a new business that will be based in Kenya or an expansion on an existing business that is based in Kenya

d)      If proposing an expansion on an existing business, the current business must have no more than 100  employees

Additional competition rules:

Ideas can be submitted by individuals or by a group. If an idea is submitted by a group, all group members must meet all of the above stated criteria.

e)       Only one person per application may participate in training sessions, events, consultant meetings and any other aspect of the competition. The same person from any one business team must attend the entire programme from beginning to end. The only exceptions made will be by consultants, who may agree in advance to meet with additional members of a management team

f)        No employee of any of the sponsoring organizations associated with the competition is permitted to participate. No employees of Ministry of State for Youth Affairs, Kenya Pipeline Company, Lenovo, Kenya Commercial Bank, Post Bank, Pamoja Trust and TechnoServe, or their immediate family members may participate in the competition. No clients currently working with TechnoServe Business Advisors are eligible to apply. No Believe-Begin-Become consultants, trainers or judges or their immediate family members may participate in the competition. Decision-makers of supporting organizations or their immediate family members are also not eligible to apply. (Visit the ‘Programme Supporters’ tab on the website to see a list of Believe Begin Become supporting companies)

g)      Phase II and III participants are expected to attend all events, conferences and training seminars offered as part of the competition. Failure to attend 3 or more events may lead to disqualification

h)       All awards, including seed capital and business development service vouchers, must be used only for the Believe-Begin-Become business idea. Awards must be used in accordance with the investment plan agreed upon with the winners.

i)         The organizers will offer a travel stipend for applicants who are invited to attend the core training programme (Phase II).

j)         Believe-Begin-Become reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual found giving false information or violating the competition rules.