NYWSE Chapter: Incubator Program Overview

Note: All positions have been filled for January 2009. If you would like to contribute to the program in any way, please feel free to send your resume and ideas to allison@ywse.org.

The purpose of the incubator is to enable budding women entrepreneurs to bring to life their social enterprises by providing support and structure from leading experts in the social entrepreneurship field, peer support, and team support. As a result of this incubator program, six women will be empowered to breakthrough and bring their ventures to a critical stage of development. What makes this incubator unique is its focus on women, social enterprise, and its team approach, in addition to the traditional incubator components of training and access to networks and information resources.

Duration: Six months, starting January 17, 2009

Number of entrepreneurs: Six

Entrepreneur profiles:

Most successful applicants will have already conducted substantial research and development to bring their social enterprise (SE) concept to fruition. They may lack key resources and a support network. They can articulate clearly a specific, measurable breakthrough result which they will accomplish during the six months of the program to bring their vision into concrete reality. For example, the specific, measurable breakthrough result may be to provide SE services to a certain number of first clients, obtain financing for their SE, create and launch new SE product/service, expand into a new location, or write full SE business plan. Priority in selection will be given to those who plan to provide their first client services through the program.

Enterprise teams:

Entrepreneurs will be matched in their own enterprise team with a leading female mentor in their field as well as a female student apprentice (a “junior partner”) with compatible interests. The multi-generational aspect of the program will enable entrepreneurs to benefit from the wisdom and solidarity of more experienced women, as well as train and develop the newest generation of women social entrepreneurs. The team approach will provide stable, long-term support to entrepreneurs as well as an encouraging and safe environment to help realize their goals.

Structure:

· Participants must have specific, measurable goal(s) for their participation, e.g. to serve first SE clients, obtain financing for SE business, create and launch new SE product/service, expand into a new location, or write full SE business plan

· Finalize draft work plan in month 1 through the Savor the Success workshops

· Entrepreneurship coursework:

o Kick-off series of four workshops provided by Savor the Success co-founder Angela Jia Kim, who is also CEO + Founder of Om Aroma & Co.

o Monthly classes on core entrepreneurship topics (the third Saturday each month after the Savor the Success workshops) by leading NYC entrepreneurship trainers – Baruch College’s Field Center for Entrepreneurship and Geri Stengel of the New School and Stengel Solutions

· Communication and accountability:

o Weekly “live” meeting with junior partner (minimum) – in person or Skype/videoconference, not just e-mail – to coordinate work and achievements

o Bi-weekly call with whole team (mentor, entrepreneur, junior partner)

· Safe space and support: All incubator resources and participants create a safe space to learn and move through their enterprise process without judgment and with pure support. All participants have different backgrounds and will learn from each other.

· Information resources available online for participants

· Blog: each team will post about their project on the NYWSE webpage

· Participants will be invited to select Savor the Success events for free, including Six Degrees of Separation networking evening

· The Global Social Venture Competition, co-organized by Columbia Business School, is open to incubator enterprise teams which have an apprentice who is an MBA student. The competition supports the creation of real businesses that bring about positive social change in a sustainable manner. Please contact Abigail Barrett at aab2155@columbia.edu for more information.

Participant selection:

Entrepreneur applications will be evaluated by NYWSE according to the following criteria:

· Completeness of application

· Clarity and breakthrough-nature of the specific, measurable goal(s) for their participation, e.g. to serve first clients, obtain financing for business, etc.

· Social impact of their SE

· Readiness for incubator program (previous experience and possible attempts)

· Willingness to commit 10-15 hours or more per week to their SE

· Willingness to follow the program structure as outlined above

Mentor and apprentice applications will be selected by NYWSE according to the following criteria:

· Completeness of application

· Motivation as expressed in personal statement

· Compatibility with entrepreneur – match of skills, needs, interests in order to ensure a productive partnership

· Willingness to commit 2 hours biweekly (mentor) and 8-10 hours (apprentice) weekly to SE

· Willingness to follow the program structure as outlined above

Participation requirements:

1) $25 application fee (entrepreneurs only) made payable by check to NYWSE

2) $150 participation fee (entrepreneurs only) upon acceptance ($25 application fee credited toward participation fee for selected participants) - check payable to NYWSE

3) Attendance at workshops (entrepreneurs and apprentices)

4) Observe program structure throughout whole process

5) Complete the 6 month program

Incubator Partners

Baruch College’s Field Center for Entrepreneurship and its Small Business Development Center are the main provider of technical business training for the women’s social enterprise incubator program. They are part of the Zicklin Business School, the largest AACSB-accredited business school in the U.S. and one of the most prestigious. It offers nationally ranked undergraduate, part-time, and full-time MBA programs, plus an accelerated MBA, specialized masters, and doctoral programs. The Field Center provides educational programs, a networking environment, and counseling help to business from all over New York City through its Small Business Development Center.

Training on marketing topics will be provided by Geri Stengel, adjunct professor of social entrepreneurship at the New School for Social Research, president of Stengel Solutions, and co-founder of Women's Leadership Exchange. In addition to a distinguished career as a senior marketing executive, she served eight years on the board of directors of the National Association of Women Business Owners.

Incubator participants will launch their program by taking the Savor the Success “Our Phenomenal Year” course provided by Angela Jia Kim, co-founder of Savor the Success - an online women’s entrepreneurship community, founder and CEO of Om Aroma & Co., and concert pianist. Most recently, Angela was featured in Tim Gunn’s “Guide to Style” on Bravo TV.

All Incubator participants are encouraged to participate in the Global Social Venture Competition co-organized by Columbia Business School, its Eugene Lang Center for Entrepreneurship, and Social Enterprise Program. Executive summary applications are due on January 21, 2009. Teams must include a current MBA student from any graduate school. Columbia Business School can assist in pairing any interested entrepreneurs with students for their team. Please contact Abigail Barrett at aab2155@columbia.edu for more information.

Key Dates

Application Deadline:

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Entrepreneurs/mentors- to allison@allisonlynch.com

Apprentices - to anusha.mehar@gmail.com

Interviews may be requested.

Entrepreneur Application Fee: $25 (entrepreneurs only - non-refundable) payable to New York Women Social Entrepreneurs (to A. Lynch, 114-20 Queens Blvd, #E1, Forest Hills NY 11375)

NYWSE Response Deadline: Friday, December 19, 2008

Payment Deadline: Saturday, January 3, 2009 (entrepreneurs only - $150/person minus application fee = $125)

Incubator Workshop Schedule:

Savor the Success #1 Saturday, January 17, 2009 (10am-noon)

Savor the Success #2 Saturday, January 24, 2009 (10am-noon)

Savor the Success #3 Saturday, January 31, 2009 (10am-noon)

Savor the Success #4 Saturday, February 7, 2009 (10am-noon)

Baruch Intro Session Wednesday, February 18, 6-7:30pm(dinner provided)

Baruch – SE models, oppy, value Saturday, February 21, 10am-1pm (lunch provided)

Geri Stengel – Marketing Saturday, March 21, 10am-1pm (lunch provided)

Baruch - SE models and funding Saturday, April 18, 10am-1pm (lunch provided)

Baruch - Operations & financials Saturday, May 16, 10am-1pm (lunch provided)

Baruch - impact, eval, staff, boards Saturday, June 20, 10am-1pm (lunch provided)

Baruch – Final presentations Monday, June 29 or 2^nd week in July, 6-9pm (dinner)

Incubator Kickoff Workshop Description

Savour The Success: Our Phenomenal Year

· Dates: Saturdays Jan 17, 24, 31, Feb 7

· Time: 10am-noon

· Location: New York City / TBA

Create your roadmap to having a phenomenal year! Are you ready to have a phenomenal year for your business? Do you want an action map pointing toward success and abundance? Do you want to get the support and energy of other like-minded women? Are you committed to action and flow?

Our Phenomenal Year reflects the Savor the Success philosophy that we can build abundance TOGETHER.

Create your action map and learn a sure-fire method of how to move forward toward savoring the success.

Here is what you will have after you complete this workshop:

1. Your action map for the next year, including 5 month incubator workplan with intermediate goals toward a specific measurable breakthrough result
2. A 30-second sound bite that will sell yourself in any situation
3. A method of getting things done successfully
4. A prototype or physical proof that you are moving forward
5. A community of women who have your back

This workshop is designed to get you to commit to action steps through the Savor the Success method. These workshops are only for those who are ready for serious movement in their lives. Please do not sign up unless you are committed to having a phenomenal year filled with action and flow.

Here you will learn what the process is and how to use it to propel you forward.
Week #1: Milestone Mapping / Challenge Tension
Week #2: Solution-Storming / No Complain Zone
Week #3: Powerful Persistence / Action Carving
Week #4: Reaching Milestones / Show & Tell

During the four weeks, there will be an online forum for daily support. Whether you want to reach your multi-million-dollar sales goal, get an investor, or jump start an idea for a new company, you will be astonished at what magic can happen with the help of other like-minded women and a sure-fire method of achieving your goals.

Leader: Angela Jia Kim, CEO + Founder of Om Aroma & Co and co-founder of Savor the Success.

Entrepreneurship Technical Training

Training providers:

Leading professors of entreprenership and social entrepreneurship from Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business, Field Center for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development Center

Geri Stengel, adjunct professor of social entrepreneurship at the New School for Social Research

Date

Workshop Details

Instructor(s)

February 18

· Introductions

· Program overview

· Dinner provided

Baruch College

February 21

· Debrief and present Savor the Success results

· Types of Social Enterprises/business models

· Organizational Structure (for profit vs. non profit)

· Opportunity Recognition

· Social value proposition

Baruch College

March 21

· Marketing and market research

Geri Stengel, the New School

April 18

· Business model refined

· Funding – grants, investment

Baruch College

May 16

· Operations

· Financial statements

Baruch College

June 20

· Impact and scalability

· Evaluation

· Key personnel and responsibilities

· Advisory Board

Baruch College

June 29 or 2^nd week in July

Final Presentations to expert panel (10-12 minutes presentations w/10 minute feedback from experts)

Baruch College

Note: All workshops will be held at the Field Center

Saturdays: 10 am – 1 pm (including break)

Program Overview: Feb 18, 6:00 – 7:30 pm (dinner provided)

Final Presentations to Expert Panel: June 29 or second week in July, 6:00-9:00 pm (dinner provided)

Entrepreneur Team

Mentors, apprentices, and entrepreneurs will be matched on the basis of their skills, goals, needs, and past experience.

Mentor Role:

Mentors will serve as coach, inspirer, and confidante, to empower an entrepreneur and her team. The mentor will have launched her own business, or even a social enterprise, and will recognize her unique possibility to foster the success of younger, aspiring female social entrepreneurs. The responsibilities include:

· Providing strategic and technical advising and feedback

· Supporting the entrepreneurship team in fulfilling the social enterprise work plan

· Making referrals to relevant professional resources

· Committing to one call every two weeks with the team or entrepreneur alone

· Fostering a team environment of empowerment and action – a safe space where an entrepreneur can be supported in the areas which are most challenging for her

Mentors will have a group call together to create a context for their role as a mentor, to be coached on how to be a mentor, and answer any specific questions about being a mentor.

Apprentice/Junior Partner Role:

Apprentices will support the entrepreneur in the achievement of her goal through provision of meaningful business support. These types of activities could range from market research, communications, client development, drafting proposals, contributing to SE strategy, to other tasks. Through their participation in the incubator program, apprentices will gain knowledge, experience in the launch of a SE, and a recommendation for their work. No financial compensation or college credit can be provided; documentation of the experience as an internship can be supported.

· Hands-on assistance in realizing entrepreneur’s goal/plan, few administrative responsibilities

· 8-10 hours per week commitment, including bi-weekly in-person contact with entrepreneur (video conference/skype OK)

· Attendance at the Saturday training sessions/workshops at Baruch’s Field Center for Entrepreneurship and “shadowing” at the Savor the Success workshops

It is recommended that all team members communicate via Skype, a free internet phone service with free conference call capability. It also has video conference capacity if you purchase a mini-camera for your computer (optional).

The Incubator Program Coordinator will maintain contact with mentors and apprentices during the course of the program.