The African Diaspora Marketplace III Business Plan Competition Application Is Now Live!

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The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Western Union have launched the third round of the African Diaspora Marketplace business plan competition (ADM III). Successful ADM III applicants will receive a matching grant of up to $50,000 and will have access to technical assistance and other support services. The ADM III website (www.diasporamarketplace.org) is now live and entrepreneurs are urged to go online and apply for this grant opportunity. The program started accepting proposals on Monday, December 22, 2014 and will close on Friday, February 13, 2015.

Also, Please find below (and share with your networks) invitations to the African Diaspora Marketplace (ADM) Business Networking Receptions in:

Los Angeles (Monday, January 12)

Houston (Tuesday, January 13)

Atlanta (Wednesday, January 14)

These receptions are part of an eight-city tour celebrating ADM III. Senior representatives from USAID, key ADM partner organizations, and past awardees will be on hand to provide further details on the ADM program and the ADM III application process and deadlines. A final reception will be held in the Washington, D.C. area in late January,information on this will be shared when those invitations become available.

Established in 2009 by USAID and Western Union, the African Diaspora Marketplace promotes sustainable economic growth and job creation in Africa by supporting entrepreneurs with demonstrable connections to or experience in Africa, who have innovative and high impact start-ups or established businesses on the continent. Since its launch, ADM has held three rigorous business plan competitions to identify and provide support to the most promising entrepreneurs. ADM has awarded 34 eligible SMEs with matching grants to start or expand businesses in sub Saharan Africa, Libya, and Tunisia. Awardees work closely with ADM managers to identify and address their specific business challenges and leverage the ADM award into additional resources. An additional 850 Africa-based businesses have participated in business training and access to finance events through ADM. ADM aims to support the development of the entrepreneurship ecosystem by providing a platform to connect lenders and investors with entrepreneurs across the continent; ADM partners have held two SME banking forums and an SME investor pitch event, as well as related training and webinars to help entrepreneurs across Africa successfully access external financing. The ADM team also provides industry, trade and technology information to support business growth and innovation.
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Jonta Williams
Office of the Assistant Administrator | Bureau for Africa
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
mariewilliams@usaid.gov | 202-712-4317 | 703-618-7811 (m)