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HerMeNow Accelerator Logo

Empowering women-led social enterprises in MENA + Africa with technical, financial and mentorship resources to transform the world.

world map highlighting MENA region

What are
Social Enterprises?

Self sustaining businesses aimed at making a social or environmental impact through their commitment to create profits while addressing crucial issues within society.

Social enterprises can take a variety of forms and work across multiple sectors, including music, arts, sports, media, literature, children's literature, wellbeing and more.

MENA is the only region in the world where poverty rates have consistently increased since 2014.

Why MENA?

The global impact investment sector is a $1.16 trillion market.

but less than 1% is coming to the MENA region.*

One of the reasons is there aren't enough accelerator programs that provide local social enterprises with funding and support to help them grow.

There is even less funding available once they exit these programs.

 

*according to the 2022 Global Impact Investment Network Report.

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The Program

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The HerMeNow Accelerator is run in collaboration with a dynamic team of experts specialized in social entrepreneurship in MENA with more than 14 years of experience in the field: Bloom.pm

The participants are social enterprises created by women entrepreneurs who have already developed traction with their business and are ready to scale up.

What does the program look like?

Enterprises will get access to an empowering program that will include monetary prizes, mentoring, access to opportunities and more.

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Open House

- Online discussions

- "info sessions"

- Selection Process

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Sprint

- High intensity workshops

- 1 on 1 follow-up

- Sprint demo day

- Selection process

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Accelerator

- Weekly workshops

- Regular milestone check-ins

- Mentorship coordination

- Demo day

The Program
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HerMeNow Accelerator icon

Impact Focus - The 2022 Edition

CULTURE  |  MINDSETS  | EDUCATION

We believe that radical change hinges on these three supreme pillars as the conditions and means by which solutions to other critical SDG* challenges may be unlocked.

We’re particularly interested in unlocking change that addresses

 

SDG1 "end poverty in all its form everywhere" mostly through job creation

SDG 5 "achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls"

SDG 10 "reducing inequality within and amongst countries"

*The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

The 2022 Finalists

Meet the finalists of the HMN Accelerator 2022 edition

Timeline

The 2022 HerMeNow Accelerator Cycle.

HerMeNow Accelerator 2022 timeline
mentorship
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Mentorship

We strongly believe in the power of outside mentorship to challenge the team to think outside the box by asking the right questions.

Here are two ways to get involved

Key Mentors

The principal mentor for a team in our programs.

We’ll match you with an enterprise based on your preference and the needs of the business.

 

We’ll ask you to commit to the following:

2

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Participate in at least 1 mentor speed dating session

3

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Guide enterprises through accelerator cycles

4

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Participate in pitch feedback sessions

5

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Participate in accelerator demo days

6

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Provide guidance while budgeting program funds

1

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Join at least 1

sprint session

Topic Mentors

Topic Mentors support teams in specific areas of expertise. Their support is on a case-by-case basis, per the enterprises' needs and requests. They have two primary responsibilities:

1

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Provide advice and answers to the entrepreneurs

2

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Connect the enterprises with people in their network.

The 2022 Mentors

Meet the HerMeNow Accelerator Mentors

A huge thank you to all our advisors and mentors who volunteered to dedicate their time and expertise to what we believe in. None of the above would have seen the light of day without their knowledge and generous intelligence.

partnership
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Partnership

We believe in leveraging the wisdom and insight of existing communities on the ground alongside other partners who share in our vision of social Entrepreneurship. 

Options for Partnership

1

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Outreach Partners

Engaging your community online and offline in order to help us source enterprises for the program.

2

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Knowledge Partners

Conducting online workshops providing mentorship for participating impact startups, helping make relevant connections, etc.

3

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Ecosystem Partners

Providing additional support to the participating enterprises, such as investment, grants, partnerships, contracts,conference, visibility, services, etc.

4

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Growth Partners

Let’s collaborate to expand this program to reach more social impact enterprises, running more cycles, and expanding the support for social enterprises in each cycle.

Benefits for Partners

1

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Visibility on Bloom

and HerMeNow

properties

2

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Recognition on our

social media channels

3

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Mentions in press

releases

4

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Promotion of partner

activities and opportunities

5

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Special activities

and events

6

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Discounted access to

the bloom platform

About Us

Our Mission

is to support women-led social enterprises whose purpose is to shake up the status-quo through their commitment to social and environmental change.

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Our Vision

is to provide a platform where women are given the space and freedom to blossom by using their talents to transform the world through positive change as well as  the tools to grow their impact and bolster communities.

Our Founder

The 2022 HerMeNow Accelerator edition is funded by StardustConcept* ESG & Impact division led by Tamara Ghandour.

 

The owner and founder, Natacha Fazal Karim, desires nothing more than to support women’s ideas, hopes and talents by empowering them through social entrepreneurship so they may be creative catalysts for collective change and sustainable development.

The program is almost entirely remote and accessible to enterprises across geographies.

*Stardustconcept is an interior design + branding agency, with offices in Dubai and New York.

portrait of HerMeNow Founder, Natacha Fazal Karim
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Our Trainers

Bloom’s lead trainers individually have 9-12 years experience (each) training and supporting innovation and entrepreneurship across the MENA region, including substantial experience working with people from marginalized, underrepresented, migrant, and refugee communities. 

They also have substantial prior experience in entrepreneurship, tech, education, and community building in the US.

Our Team

Meet the HMN Accelerator team