The eight social entrepreneurs selected for this years’ SE Outreach Accelerator program are finally here!!

It has been an amazing first week for the social entrepreneurs. Everybody landed on Saturday and was received by an SE Forum staff member who accompanied them to the hotel apartment in Stockholm.

The first week of the Accelerator program was dedicated to getting to know each other. This was done during the weeklong team-building exercise at Sigtunastiftelsen, a tranquil location an hour out of Stockholm. The exercises were aimed at promoting and enhancing creativity and trying to break barriers such as communication and cultural in order to enhance harmony.

Other than team building, the team revisited the goals of the SE Outreach Accelerator program together and reaffirmed expectations and desired results for both SE Forum and the entrepreneurs in regards to the whole program.

‘My goal with the Accelerator is to further develop my enterprise’ says Sheikh, ‘I want to use this opportunity to learn how to plan my business, market it and enhance my fundraising skills.’

A few introductory courses were held such as an introduction to Business Model Canvas, how to write a business plan, an introduction to the Problem Tree and Storytelling. On the last day, the entrepreneurs had a chance to participate in a symposium held by Sigtuna Foundation on the human capacity to adapt and innovate in the light of great challenges.

It was not ‘all work and no play’ for the entrepreneurs who took a chance to explore Sigtuna, during breaks and taking evening walks that were often followed by a few hours in the sauna.

In the coming weeks, the entrepreneurs will go through rigorous training aimed at building their business capacity. Topics offered during the Accelerator include business planning, business modeling, marketing and communication strategies, income and funding strategies, financial management, project management, leadership, social impact metrics and so forth.