Services for Entrepreneurs

 
We aim to start, grow and finance entrepreneurs in emerging markets. Our mission is to get 5 businesses started or grown per day. Currently we help two per week.
 

We will support any entrepreneur starting or growing a business in an emerging market, that has growth ambitions, is willing to write a business plan and is looking for $10,000 to $5 million over the next 5 years. 

Our website offers you:

Easier business plan writing
Our online business plan form makes the writing of the business plan and financial plan a lot easier. If you know your business, a typical business plan takes at least one week to write. On bidnetwork.org, it will take no more than two hours. Your plan is safe and secure here. Completing your business plan will give you access to the services below.

Coaches
Over 900 coaches are ready to give you feedback on your business plan. Coaching is available to entrepreneurs that have completed about half their business plan. 

Business plan competitions
Participate in the competitions shown below. This will give your plan more exposure and possibly additional benefits like prize money and a trip to an international award ceremony.

Matchmaking with financiers
Once your business plan has a high score and is presentable to financiers (investors, funds and banks) we will alert the most relevant financiers about your business. 

Useful documents and links
Many useful documents and links to write your business plan and grow your business can be found under the Resources section in the header menu.

Build your network
Use the powerful search function of this website to find like-minded entrepreneurs. Contact them via the internal messaging system. Also find similar business plans, investment funds, news and events. 

Get started and join bidnetwork.org
The BiD Network is a worldwide online community of over 40,000 members, entrepreneurs, coaches, financiers and partner organizations. Use it!

Business Plan Competitions

  • Competition

    The Access to Sustainable Energy Challenge

    Start by: 01.01.2012 - 12:59 Complete by: 15.08.2012 - 12:59

    The Access 2 Sustainable Energy Challenge is now open:

     

    DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING YOUR COMPLETE BUSINESS PLAN IS AUGUST 15, 2012
    SUBMIT YOUR PLAN SUMMARY BEFORE MAY 14, 2012 AND BE SELECTED FOR THE READY FOR FINANCE TRAINING COURSE

     

    The goal of this competition is to finance the start or growth of Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SME) that can deliver access to sustainable energy to consumers in Tanzania.

    Although renewable solutions will be encouraged and given preference, we seek to address access to energy for the largest number of people for the best price, hence large impact businesses.

    Target Audience

    Entrepreneurs in Tanzania who want to start or grow an existing SME that delivers sustainable access to energy to people in Tanzania. These entrepreneurs:

    • ideally focus on clean energy solutions.
    • seek finance in the range of US$ 10,000 and US$ 1 million.
    • are either in the start-up phase or are an established business (more than one year’s sales).
    • have the ambition to grow the business in sales and numbers of employees.

    Entrepreneurs who are committed can take advantage of investment opportunities for investors and intense targeted Ready for Finance and Energy sector specific training.


    Why Participate?

    Benefits for participating entrepreneurs include:

    • Coaching, feedback and support in writing your business plan by SEED and its partners
    • Training on finance readiness with industry specific approach by SEED and partners:
    • 40 best proposals will receive training on “Ready for Finance: Business Planning & Management Skills”
    • 20 business plans entrepreneurs will be offered training on “Ready for Finance: Access to Financing and Investment Options”.
    • Visibility for their plan and a large network of 46,000 members to help grow your business, through www.bidnetwork.org
    • 2 best Entrepreneurs will be invited on a business trip abroad to promote themselves and get introduced to various potential investors and business partners.
    • E+Co will prepare investment recommendations for entrepreneurs that meet their investment criteria
    • Get exposure to over 100 investors interested in financing SMEs in developing countries.

    Participation criteria

    • The country of business should be Tanzania.
    • The plan is written in English.
    • The sector of this competition is energy: Sustainable energy comprises: wind, solar, biogas, hydro, liquefied petroleum gas, biomass and energy efficiency. Non-renewable energies are not excluded but the approaches to energy production, usage or financing should focus on established, affordable, reliable technologies that creates greater access to energy and move communities up the energy ladder towards cleaner, more modern forms of energy.

  • Competition

    BiD Challenge Argentina 2012

    Start by: 01.02.2012 - 13:41 Complete by: 30.09.2012 - 13:41

    Bienvenida/o al certamen BiD Challenge Argentina 2012. Buscamos apoyar y potenciar a empresas o proyectos "de impacto" o "mission oriented" que buscan financiamiento en U$ 10,000 y 1 millón que deseen lograr una transformación, social o ambiental, además de generar ganancias. Nuestro modelo inspirador son las "empresas y emprendedores sociales" y más recientemente el Sistema B. Las empresas B, o "B Corporations" son las que utilizan el poder del mercado para solucionar problemas sociales o ambientales. Más info en http://www.sistemab.org/

    ¿Qué ofrecemos?
    Acceso a inversores locales e internacionales.
    Apoyo de mentores de primer nivel para los emprendedores que quieren elaborar un plan de negocios.
    Contacto con los 34,000 miembros del www.bidnetwork.org
    Evaluadores nacionales e internacionales revisan las propuestas de negocios y dan feedback personal.
    Posibilidad de recibir premios en efectivo

    Este año tenemos dos llamados a emprendedores:

    Primera fecha límite para inscribir su resumen de negocio: 30 de junio.
    Quienes se presentan en esta etapa tienen el beneficio de recibir los feedbacks y evaluaciones entre abril y julio y por lo general consiguen mentores que pueden disponer de más tiempo.
    Segunda fecha límite para inscribir su resumen de negocio: 30 de septiembre

    Tres categorías

    1. Premio a la empresa con impacto social en donde premiamos a empresas con impacto en el desarrollo sustentable, que también denominamos "de las Nuevas Economías": Economías de inclusión social y distributivas,

    2. Premio a la empresa con impacto ambiental positivo, biodiversidad y de bajo carbono

    3. Premio a la empresa innovadora con alto potencial de crecimiento (empresas que no buscan un impacto social o ambiental positivo y que están a más de 200 km de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires)

    Nota: todas las empresas participantes no deben tener más de 3 años de antiguedad (en su personería jurídica). Se considerarán, no obstante, casos de empresas con mayor antiguedad que presentan proyectos de ampliación, de nuevos productos, líneas de negocios o servicios que tienen que ver con la sustentabilidad.

    BiD Challenge Argentina está operado por ENI de Universidad Torcuato di Tella, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

    Para comenzar es simple y fácil. Dirigite a la sección "Emprendedores" y allí registrate y completá todos tus datos y foto, luego presentá tu resumen de negocio, y envianos un mail a eni_bidchallenge@utdt.edu. En pocos días, si calificás, nos ponemos a trabajar en la búsqueda de un mentor.

    Confidencialidad
    Toda información presentada tendrá trato confidencial y será accesible sólo aquellos a los cuales usted haya dado permiso formal. Por este motivo le pedimos que ajuste las configuraciones de confianza en relación a su plan de negocios. La Fundación BiD Network no es responsable de ninguna pérdida de información ni del acceso de terceros a la misma. Los equipos de evaluadores, integrado por personal de ENI DI Tella y Business in Development Network también firman un acuerdo de confidencialidad.

  • Competition

    Kosovo Spring Challenge

    Start by: 01.01.2012 - 14:23 Complete by: 10.06.2012 - 23:59

    BiD Network sources and selects business plans of small and medium sized enterprises in emerging markets. BiD Network offers tools to the best entrepreneurs, paving the way for them to access finance.

    BiD Network zgjedh plane të biznesit të ndërmarrjeve të vogla dhe të mesme në tregjet e reja. BiD Network ofron mjete (ndihma/këshilla) për sipërmarrësit më të mirë, duke hapur rrugën drejt financimit.

    BiD мрежа проналази и бира пословне планове малих и средњих предузећа на тржиштима у развоју. BiD мрежа нуди помоћ најбољим предузетницима, утирући им пут за приступ финансијама.

    2011 BiD & Spark Challenge Winners:


    North Kosovo

    1st Winner is Milija Radenkovic receiving 3,500 EUR for Gas Station and Motel - P.P. Zitomil
    2nd Winner Jelena Savic receiving 2,000 EUR for Candied Fruit & Marmelade
    3rd Winner Stefan Ristovic receiving 1,500 EUR for Private Kindergarten

    South Kosovo

    Winner of the 1st BiD Challenge in Kosovo is Afrim Baijraktari receiving 7,000 EUR for VirtuReal Electronics

  • Competition

    Ondernemen zonder Grenzen 2012

    Start by: 15.05.2012 - 11:47 Complete by: 30.09.2012 - 11:47

    The Ondernemen zonder Grenzen is a business plan competition organized for Dutch entrepreneurs with ambitions in Africa, Asia or Latin-America aiming to support initiatives that succeed in making a profitable as well as sustainable business in these regions.

    For more information go to http://www.ondernemenzondergrenzen.nl.