SDG Incubation Demo Day

The SDG Incubation Demo Day event was the long-awaited debut stage for the startups that won the SDG innovation challenge in March 2022 and went on to complete the three-month incubation program at Node Eight.  

Since the commencement of the three-month SDG Incubation program, the startups (Emblem Farms, WASH Advancement Center (WAC), and ViztaEdu) have made incredible progress in their efforts to provide innovative solutions to problems related to Sustainable Development Goals, such as Zero Hunger, Quality Education, Clean water, and sanitation

The three startups presented their progress on Friday, November 18, following a series of training on business skills, access to markets, finance, bookkeeping, business registration, and more. 

Mr. Courage Asase, the Managing Director of Node Eight, in his welcoming address said that entrepreneurship is a vehicle that is supposed to help us achieve economic development. He also added that the incubation program was aimed at equipping young entrepreneurs to be the drivers of economic development. 

Here are some of the accomplishments of WASH Advancement Center (WAC), Emblem Farms, and ViztaEdu until now. 

We received our first pitch from Wash Advancement Centre (WAC). Their solution is to provide clean and potable water for remote communities. Wash Advancement Centre’s agenda of providing clean and portable water is self-sustaining, community-based, and provides employment opportunities to local communities. Their solution is contributing to Sustainable Development Goals 3, 6, and 13. 

With the funding from the SDG Innovation Challenge, earlier Wash Advancement Center has completed its community engagement and hydrogeological investigation in Abutia Amesianya Kofe in Ghana’s Volta region to expand on their existing 10,000L/Capacity Solar Water System there. 

Additionally, WAC has invested in a two-year domain registration to advance global communication, increase trust, and strengthen its brand positioning.  

Next to the pitch was Emblem Farms, a 500-capacity broiler farm project at Kpone Katamanso in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The farm is founded to help meet Ghana’s supply shortfall of an annual 250 million dollars worth of poultry meat. Emblem Farms plans to expand its production to Ho in the Volta Region.

Upon receiving funding, they were able to effectively register their business. This allowed them to operate legally and secure partnerships for egg supply and more. 

The final pitch came from ViztaEdu Limited. They are developing a social media-based educational platform for tertiary-level students to learn, network, and share their educational journey. Their solution is geared toward tackling Sustainable Development Goal 4. 

They mentioned that before the pitch contest and the incubation program, they only had an idea for a peer-to-peer learning platform and a prototype that was not ready. After placing 3^rd in the contest and receiving funding and training support, they now have an App that they are testing

With funding from the SDG Innovation challenge and Incubation program at Node Eight, VistaEdu has successfully registered its business, launched the Beta version of its mobile app on the Play store, and acquired branding and marketing kits such as roll-up banners, T-shirts, and other promotional materials. 

After the pitch from the three startups, a session on Building a Sustainable and Impactful Venture was led by Mr. Seth Akumani, the Head of Exploration at UNDP.  

“It takes more than a business idea and passion for starting and sustaining a business,” he said. According to Mr. Seth Akumani, a sustainable business needs the right structures, a sustainable team, and a viable and sustainable business model to create consistent value for customers and maintain a competitive advantage. 

Mr. Seth continued by saying, “It is important for businesses to care for more than just making profits. Business models should go beyond profit and loss. We must consider the people, the environment, and the social impact on the community. It is not enough to do business, entrepreneurs need to care about their environment as well.” 

He concluded by saying that there are lots of opportunities in the social entrepreneurship space. And it is left to entrepreneurs to decide to seek out these opportunities and become a company that constantly reinvents itself. 

SDGs Incubator 

Node Eight, with its partners, has run the SDG Incubation Program for these startups. The SDG Incubation Program is a six-month program that seeks to facilitate the growth of startups investing in solving problems related to the Sustainable Development Goals. The effort to promote and contribute to the growth of startups to achieve global goals will always be at the heart of our operations here at Node Eight.