The Capricorn Food Waste Challenge
Make a Difference, Build a Career: Join the Capricorn Food Waste Challenge
The Capricorn Foundation is seeking solutions that can create self-sustaining Social Enterprises to address the issue of Food Waste in Namibia AND create employment for Namibians. Visit the challenge website here.
The Challenge
Enter your proposal for a self-sustaining Social Enterprise (business venture) to address the issue of Food Waste in Namibia AND create employment for Namibians
Prize: N$ 100,000 in cash from the Capricorn Foundation for starting or expanding the Social Enterprise, and a branding refresh and marketing package valued at N$ 50,000, sponsored by Synergi Marketing (Pty) Ltd.
Deadline for entries: 22 May 2023
The objectives of this challenge are:
The starting or growing of self-sustaining Social Enterprises (business ventures) involved in addressing the issue of Food Waste, i.e., aspiring to the objective of more edible food effectively reaching more vulnerable people in Namibia.
To reduce Hunger in Namibia.
To create sustainable Employment opportunities in Namibia.
To promote and develop Entrepreneurship in Namibia.
To create more awareness about the issues of Food Waste, Unemployment, and Entrepreneurship in Namibia.
Eligibility
This Challenge is open and offered only to individuals aged sixteen (16) years or older at the time of registration, teams consisting of up to eight (8) individuals aged sixteen (16) years or older at the time of registration, and legal business entities. Terms and Conditions apply.
Judging Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated by an expert panel of judges over two rounds.
• For Round 1 (First Round), all accepted proposals will be evaluated to get to the top five highest-scoring proposals, who will be the “Semi-Finalists.”
• For Round 2 (Final Round): The Semi-Finalists will pitch their business proposals in a live setting to an external judging panel.
The following criteria will be used to evaluate the proposals in Round 1:
1. Relevance
Does the proposal address the stated challenge, namely:
Will the operation of the Social Enterprise effectively lead to more food – that would have been wasted otherwise – reaching more vulnerable people in Namibia?
Will the Social Enterprise create employment opportunities?
Will the Social Enterprise be self-sustainable?
2. Creativity
A demonstration that the proposed solution displays a unique approach.
3. Feasibility
A demonstration that the venture can be successfully implemented.
4. Planning
A clear and well-defined strategy to achieve objectives and goals.
5. Self-sustaining
The ability of the business to maintain itself.
6. Social Impact
The value that the new venture will bring to society.
For evaluating and scoring the proposals in Round 2, the same criteria will be used as in Round 1, and in addition, the following criteria will be used to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the actual presentation (the “pitch”) to the judging panel:
Did the presenter(s) engage the audience and hold their attention?
Did the presenter(s) appear to speak with confidence and authority?
Were visual aids (i.e., PowerPoint slides) clear and valuable?
Was the pitch exciting and compelling?
How efficiently did the team allot their time?
Please Note: We will provide coaching and mentorship to the Semi-Finalists from selected experts on how to draft a business plan and propose a business plan to possible investors (“pitching”).”
The Capricorn Food Waste Challenge is hosted by the Capricorn Foundation in collaboration with Synergi Marketing (Pty) Ltd as the official media partner and in partnership with Business Box and the Gondwana Care Trust.
