WIC Academy, an accelerator for women-led businesses
Our mission
The WIC Academy is the Women’s Investment Club’s technical assistance program, designed to equip women-led SMEs with the tools needed for strong, structured and sustainable growth.
It intervenes upstream and downstream of investments, supporting companies throughout their development trajectory.
To date, WIC Academy has supported over 300 companies with strong growth potential, spread across 8 cohorts.
The WIC Academy is based on:
– the sectoral expertise of WIC members
– local and international technical partnerships
– specialized consultants and industry experts.
pour offrir un soutien de haut calibre, adapted to the specific needs of African women entrepreneurs.
A high value-added support offer
“We support women-led SMEs to help them reach key stages of structuring and performance.”
Gender factor
The WIC Academy will target only women-owned businesses, according to the criteria defined in the WIC strategy: namely, businesses founded by women, majority-owned by women, or with a management team that is predominantly female.
Company size
Typically, the WIC Academy will target micro and small businesses less than 5 years old. However, exceptions may be made based on the business's growth potential following WIC Academy programs.
Sector
The WIC Academy targets all sectors of activity. However, studies on the entrepreneurial ecosystem have shown that women-led businesses are more prevalent in agribusiness, processing, health, beauty and wellness, tourism, and technology…
Geography
The WIC Academy's activities are currently concentrated in Dakar, with planned expansion to other major cities. The WIC already began extending its services to the Tambacounda region in 2021.
Selection process
The beneficiary companies are chosen by a dedicated committee, based on transparent and rigorously defined criteria, guaranteeing the fairness, relevance and impact of the decisions.
Selection Committee
A committee of 5 members with complementary expertise
The committee brings together experienced professionals with in-depth knowledge:
– entrepreneurship
– SME financing
– of the local economic ecosystem
– and good governance practices.
Selection process
Its role is to select eligible companies, assess their potential and recommend beneficiaries of the support program.
Committee composition
The committee is composed in such a way as to ensure a balanced and multi-sectoral vision:
– A member of the WIC Capital team
– A member of the Women’s Investment Club (WIC)
– A representative from the WIC Academy
– A representative from the partner incubator
– An experienced entrepreneur
Our services
In order to best meet the needs of businesses,
The WIC Academy has established a Shared Services Centre (SSC) offering the following support services:
Initial diagnosis
Assessment, Current Situation Analysis, Needs Assessment, Objective Setting
Capacity building
A system dedicated to formalization and administrative support:
accounting,
human resources,
legal,
taxation,
compliance, etc.
Strategic consulting and management
Access to expertise in organization, strategy, governance, finance, marketing, digitalization, and more.
Coaching and Mentoring
Individual coaching, mentoring and personalized support programs involving leaders and professionals from the WIC network.
Networking & Industry Events
Meetings, workshops, masterclasses, peer learning communities, to foster collaborations, opportunities and visibility.
A Powerful Ecosystem
WIC Capital is the financial engine of an integrated model conceived and implemented by the Women’s Investment Club Senegal (WIC). It is part of a powerful ecosystem designed to expand across the continent and amplify its impact through:
- A club, business network, the Women’s Investment Club (WIC Senegal, WIC Ivory Coast)
- A Investment fund (WIC Capital Fund I, WIC Capital Fund II)
– A structure of capacity building, WIC Academy (Senegal, Ivory Coast)
WIC Capital is the financial engine of an integrated model conceived and implemented by the Women’s Investment Club Senegal (WIC). It is part of a powerful ecosystem designed to expand across the continent and amplify its impact through:
- Un club, business network, the Women’s Investment Club (WIC Senegal, WIC Ivory Coast)
- Un Investment fund (WIC Capital Fund I, WIC Capital Fund II)
- Une structure de capacity building, WIC Academy (Senegal, Ivory Coast)
Founded in 2016, the Women’s Investment Club Senegal brings together around one hundred women from the private sector. Its mission: to offer women in Francophone Africa privileged access to modern financing and investment mechanisms.
Founded in 2018, WIC Côte d’Ivoire brings together women from various sectors, committed to promoting women’s investment and active participation in economic development.
WIC Capital is the financial engine of an integrated model conceived and implemented by the Women’s Investment Club Senegal (WIC). It is part of a powerful ecosystem designed to expand across the continent and amplify its impact through:
- Un club, business network, the Women’s Investment Club (WIC Senegal, WIC Ivory Coast)
- Un Investment fund (WIC Capital Fund I, WIC Capital Fund II)
- Une structure de capacity building, WIC Academy (Senegal, Ivory Coast)
Founded in 2016, the Women’s Investment Club Senegal brings together around one hundred women from the private sector. Its mission: to offer women in Francophone Africa privileged access to modern financing and investment mechanisms.
Fondé en 2018, le WIC Côte d’Ivoire regroupe des femmes issues de secteurs variés, engagées dans la promotion de l’investissement féminin et la participation active au développement économique
Founded in 2016, the Women’s Investment Club Senegal brings together around one hundred women from the private sector. Its mission: to offer women in Francophone Africa privileged access to modern financing and investment mechanisms.
Fondé en 2018, le WIC Côte d’Ivoire regroupe des femmes issues de secteurs variés, engagées dans la promotion de l’investissement féminin et la participation active au développement économique