Cascador, a transformative programme for mid-stage entrepreneurs in Africa founded in 2019, has stated that the firm’s ultimate goal is impact. This was stated during the Alumni Meeting of the company in Ikeja recently.
According to the Founder of Cascador, Dave DeLucia; “Impact can come in a variety of forms: social impact, job creation, innovative solutions to problems, or providing opportunities for women, the poor, or disadvantaged communities to advance. Rather than offering grants or working through NGOs, we have elected to empower the entrepreneurs who are solving problems and making an impact through for-profit ventures.”
He said, “By developing leadership skills, financial acumen, connections, sources of capital and other resources to help them scale, we turbo charge their companies and make their impact possible. We also hope to inspire a spirit of humility, philanthropy and community that drives them to become leaders who give back to their country and community for years to come,” DeLucia added.
Speaking on the programme curriculum in 2024 and how it has bettered the entrepreneurs, Director of Cascador, Trish Thomas stated in a statement that “Our cohort members today have a much more expansive learning experience than our early Cascadors. A practical example of the improvement to our curriculum and timeline is that Founders have time to take their education back to their team and apply it in their real-world operating environment.”
In the past, she said “We taught the importance of knowing your customer and building your products, services and experiences around their needs. Today, our founders have time to complete a 3-week customer research project with their team, share their insights, and get our help in applying their findings to their business model. We also create a more lasting bond between the founders in each cohort through extended interaction, and teach a more holistic curriculum than before.”
In 2024, to demonstrate its commitment to the Nigerian market, Cascador awarded personal development stipends and prizes to cohort members. “We were very excited to have the funding to provide $5,000 stipends to each member of the 2024 Cascador cohort. It’s very difficult to be an entrepreneur in Nigeria today. Lending standards are tough, inflation is high, FX is very unfavourable, and there is not a lot of outside capital flowing in.”
“We encouraged our entrepreneurs to use this capital for personal and professional development to grow as a leader and access much needed training and support”.
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