Unleashing Entrepreneurship
Believe Begin Become is a business plan competition (BPC) developed by TechnoServe to support and grow new businesses in Africa. It is an incentivized, practical training and business development program to help entrepreneurs turn their business ideas into fundable and implementable business plans. The program is currently being run in Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Tanzania and Swaziland.


This program is designed to give enterprising men and women the training and resources they need to launch or expand businesses, while fostering a broader culture of entrepreneurship within their country. Believe Begin Become is based on a similar program that we established in 2002 in Latin America, where we currently run BPCs in Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Peru.

Our BPCs catalyze the creation and expansion of profitable and competitive small- and medium-scale (SME) enterprises—a vital engine of growth, jobs and income in the developing world. They also create a vehicle for local financial institutions to provide access to capital and build momentum for SME development, spurring governments into action. 

In 2007, Believe Begin Become received over 6,300 applications, trained 395 entrepreneurs and awarded 64 entrepreneurs with seed money and business development services.

Partners and sponsors
These programs, although locally branded to maximize visibility and impact, collaborate extensively with local and regional businesses and partner with international corporations and foundations. Professional mentorships and corporate partnerships are integral to the success of the competitions. Current Key multi-country sponsors include: 

Program objectives:
• Support entrepreneurs to create scaleable and sustainable businesses through training and mentoring 

• Catalyze networks integrating the public, private and NGO communities to create a business environment supportive of SME development 

• Facilitate linkages between entrepreneurs and financial service providers to stimulate business growth

Key components:
• Private sector support and involvement 

• Skill-building through training, mentoring and technical assistance 

• Local support network-building for small and medium-sized enterprises 

• Brokering access to finance and venture capital

About TechnoServe:
TechnoServe is leading a movement that empowers people in the developing world to build businesses that break the cycle of poverty. Growing enterprises generate jobs and other income opportunities for poor people, enabling them to improve their lives and secure a better future for their families. Since its founding in 1968, the U.S.-based nonprofit has helped to create or expand thousands of businesses, benefiting millions of people in more than 30 countries. The Financial Times has rated TechnoServe one of the top five NGOs for corporate partnerships. Charity Navigator has also awarded its highest Four Star ranking to TechnoServe.