Young entrepreneurs around the globe are invited to apply for the Westerwelle Young Founders Programme 2021. The Westerwelle Young Founders Programme is a fully-funded program that will help develop the skill and expand the knowledge of each participant.

About The Westerwelle Foundation Programme

The Westerwelle Young Founders Programme is a fully funded 6-month-long programme for outstanding young entrepreneurs from emerging and developing countries. The programme aims to connect young founders from all over the world and offers a mentoring programme tailored to their particular challenges. It supports them in further developing their entrepreneurial skills and their international network.

The 6-month-long Westerwelle Young Founders Programme Spring 2021 starts with a digital kick-off conference in the last week of September 2021. In the following six months, the young founders will have the opportunity to develop their company with the support of a personal mentor and to exchange ideas with the other young founders and obtain feedback.

On top of that, the Westerwelle Foundation will select the ten best performing Young Founders and invite them to the Conference in Berlin in autumn 2021. During this conference, the selected startups will have the opportunity to pitch in front of investors, participate in workshops and networking events and get an insight into the German start-up scene.

• Kick-Off Conference: A two-day digital kick-off conference will take place in the last week of September 2021;
• Remote Programme: From October 2021 – March 2022, the Young Founders will receive six months of support including a personal mentor, alumni buddy, monthly peer mentoring sessions, monthly expert workshops and networking opportunities with corporates and investors;
• Berlin Conference: The ten best performing Young Founders will be invited to a five-day conference in Spring 2022. During this conference, the founders will have the opportunity to pitch in front of investors, participate in workshops, join networking events and get an insight into the German start-up scene.

Benefit

• Berlin Conference – a week-long conference in Berlin for the ten best performing startups who will be given the unique chance to pitch in front of investors, participate in workshops and networking events and get an insight into the German startup scene. (travel and accommodation will be covered by the Westerwelle Foundation);
• A personal mentor who is an experienced entrepreneur and will function as a sparring partner with whom you can discuss upcoming challenges and new opportunities;
• Monthly peer mentoring calls with the other successful Young Founders of the cohort to share knowledge with and support each other;
• Expert sessions on relevant topics (e.g. OKRs, investor KPIs, marketing & sales);
• The Young Founders Network — a strong alumni network that functions as a platform for all Young Founders to connect with each other, exchange ideas and find support for existing challenges;
• Exposure to the Berlin startup scene and the public for you and your startup via our social media channels and our networks,
• Assistance beyond the programme as we remain a contact person for the Young Founders and will help you to find suitable experts for challenges, offer possibilities to share learnings with current cohorts or celebrate successes.
• The buddy programme that connects alumni of the Westerwelle Young Founders Programme with new Young Founders that operate in the same business to potentially open doors and enhance mutual exchange.

Eligibility Criteria

• You have recently (in the last 5 years) started a for-profit company with a scalable business model that has achieved Product-Market Fit and has ideally secured first external funding (if you run a business model that requires external investment);
• Your company is based in a developing or emerging country or has a strong business focus on developing and emerging economies;
• You possess a good working knowledge of English;
• You are available to attend the digital kick-off conference and can make time to participate in monthly mentoring and peer mentoring calls for the 6-month programme.

Application Process

The following application will provide our Programme Team with an understanding of your startup and profile. Please have the following key elements ready:

• Your startup pitch deck
• Basic financial information (i.e. revenues, funding)
• Your LinkedIn profile and/or CV

With these on hand, the application will take approximately 20 minutes. Only complete applications will be reviewed.

The key application dates are as follows:

• Application deadline: Friday, September 3 at 11:59 CEST
• Interviews with shortlisted candidates: September 13-17, 2021
• Notification of all applicants: September 20, 2021

CLICK HERE TO APPLY