Supporting Kenyan WASH Entrepreneurs

The key components of the incubator include:
  • Identification of high potential WASH solutions
  • Entrepreneur recruitment and selection
  • Initial technical training
  • Initial business training
  • Development and presentation of business plans
  • Selection of plans for seed funding
  • Negotiation of contracts and milestones
  • Ongoing mentoring and coaching
  • Quarterly exchange meetings and additional training

It is anticipated that participants taking part in the incubator program will take part for a full calendar year, after which support of successful entrepreneurs will be part of the overall H2OPE Accelerator.

Initial WASH solutions offered by the incubator focuses on:

  • HWTS solutions (Biosand filters and hollow fibre filters)
  • Rainwater Harvesting
  • Manual well drilling
  • Rope pumps
  • Other HWTS solutions
  • Latrine constructions (pit latrines and ecosan latrines)
  • Soap making
  • Water Kiosk

Entrepreneur selection and recruitment

A new round of the incubator program is launched every 6 months with between 10-16 participants. Entrepreneurs are free to apply to the incubator at any time though there is a general recruitment drive 2 months prior to the start of the program.

Aqua Clara is also open to using this program to train entrepreneurs pre-selected by another organisation as part of a service contract.

Initial technical training

The initial technical training takes place in one of 2 formats:

  1. Incubator programs focus on multiple relevant technologies, over the course of up to a month.
  2. Incubator programs focus on one single technology, over the course of 4-10 days.

In the case that the incubator focuses on one technology at a time, old entrepreneurs are able to access training on ‘new’ technical areas as their businesses progress and as they see relevant.

Annual WASH Enterprise Conference

All entrepreneurs who have participated in past Incubator trainings and entrepreneurs interested in participating in future trainings will be invited to an annual WASH Enterprise Conference. In this conference, entrepreneurs will hear from successful social entrepreneurs from the region. The idea is that the conference inspires entrepreneurs to think big and challenges them to look at ways they could scale their businesses. The conference also brings onboard potential financial partners to enable entrepreneurs to access capital for the next phase of their business.