harambe-cameroon - elevator pitch contest - report

HARAMBE-CAMEROON

Presents

THE FIRST SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

COMPETITION IN CAMEROON

In Collaboration with:

The United States of America Embassy in Cameroon

March, 2010

N° 001829/ADR/JO6/APPA

Transforming Our Problems into Opportunities!

Harambe-Cameroon – Transforming our problems into opportunities!

On Friday, March 5TH 2010 Harambe Cameroon hosted the First Social Entrepreneurship competition in Cameroon. The event took place at Mt Febe Hotel and mobilized about 120 people. The event was structured in 2 parts – The presentation of Harambe Cameroon (origins, goals, missions) and the Elevator Pitch Contest (EPC).

The HarambeThe HarambeThe HarambeThe Harambe----Cameroon EndeavorCameroon EndeavorCameroon EndeavorCameroon Endeavor Harambe Cameroon is a private, apolitical and legally Cameroonian organization led by the bright minds of Cameroon in the Diaspora and in the country. The endeavor was officially launched on November 12th, 2009 at Royal-Co Bastos, Yaounde.

Harambe-Cameroon is an independent branch of a much larger international alliance called the Harambe Endeavor. Harambe Endeavor is an alliance of African students studying at leading colleges and universities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Harambe Endeavor’s mission is to capture, inform and engage Africa’s global intellectual capital towards a sustained, strategic and concerted development of the African continent. Established in September 2007 as a non-profit

enterprise, Harambe Endeavor has quickly grown in its outreach with 18 African Countries currently being represented, 85 official signatories, and hundreds of affiliates. This is arguably the most powerful network of the next generation of African professionals anywhere in the world.

As part of this international endeavor, Harambe Cameroon is spearheading the first Social Entrepreneurship Program in the nation. The program seeks to change the paradigm of competition and entrepreneurship amongst Cameroonian students. Harambe-Cameroon’s mission is to inspire a new generation of young leaders and entrepreneurs who see problems as opportunities in need of solutions and have the poise and wherewithal to engage others to create long-lasting social impact.

The Elevator Pitch ContestThe Elevator Pitch ContestThe Elevator Pitch ContestThe Elevator Pitch Contest CONCEPT An elevator pitch is a brief overview of an idea for a product, service, or project. The pitch is so called because it can be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride. The term is typically used in the context of an entrepreneur pitching an idea to a venture capitalist to receive funding. (From Wikipedia). FORMAT

• Candidates are called in a random order to pitch 90second of a project idea they have. • After each 90seconds presentation, the candidate faces a jury. Each juror gives their feedback

on the candidate’s performance based on the Judging criteria (listed below). • The total average of the jury’s score is the score of the candidate. The Winners are the

candidates with the highest note. OBJECTIVE

• To tap into the idealism and creativity of Cameroon’s youth. • To showcase potential feasible and lucrative social enterprises. • To stimulate a generation of problem-solvers who see problems as opportunities in need of

solutions.


The CandidatesThe CandidatesThe CandidatesThe Candidates

Out of 30 candidates selected, 20 confirmed their presence, and 18 were present. The Candidates were students from Universities and Institutions in Yaoundé (for the pilot project). Students ranged from first year, to Masters, and BAC+5. 7 Universities and Institutions in Yaoundé Represented: Universities of Yaoundé I (Ngoa-Ekele) and II (Soa), L’Ecole Nationale Supérieure Polytechnique (ENSP), SUPDECO, CIFADDEG, Ndi-Samba Supérieure, Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS). Domains of Studies of Candidates: Management, Mechanical Engineering, Human Resources, Electronics, Sociology, Computer Engineering, Civil Engineering.

TTTThe Guestshe Guestshe Guestshe Guests

Harambe-Cameroon once more brought together Cameroon’s key actors from various walks of life and from distinct socio-political and economic sectors of the nation. They came from various paths of life to support Cameroon’s Youth.

Businesses and Corporations Universities and Institutions • Secretary General, Group BLAZ DESIGN • Director, CIFADDEG • Director, Authentic Developpers Corporation (ADC) • Engineer, TECHNIPOLE ENSP • Project Manager/ Finance Expert, XIA

ASSOCIATES (LTD) • Economics Professor, University of

Yaounde II • Assistant Director, CAMDEV • Expert Consultant, HTR

Students

• Financial Analyst, Cameroon Exchange (CAMEX) • Director, SIJEL Services

• Civil Engineer, RAZEL

• Finance Manager , PCP Cameroun

• Administrative Director, Mont Fébé Hotel

University of Yaounde I (UYI) and UYII, ENS (Teachers’ Training), ENSP (Polytechnic), SupDeCo (Business School), CIFADDEG (International Affairs and Developpement), IRIC (International Relations School), INSTPI, Institut Siantou Supérieure

Civil Society/NGOs Government Agencies • President, Program D’Appui au Sociétés Civiles

(PASOC) • Head of Section, Ministry of Research

and Scientific Innovation • Executvie Secretary, Welcome Cameroon • Secretary, CCAA • Secretary General (SG), Solutions Aux Migrations

Clandestines (SMIC) • Chemical Engineer, CSPH (Hydrocarbon

Regulation Agency) • Teacher, American School of YDE (ASOY) • National Employment Fund (NEF) • Peer Education Program (PEP) Cameroon Media • President, Environment For Life • Journalist, Africanews.com

• Coordinator, Actions Vitales pour le Développement Durable (AVD)

• Journalist, Radio environnement/ Newspaper AFRIC-ENVIRONMENT


The JuryThe JuryThe JuryThe Jury 1. Mr Edouard Kotto – Section Chief of Project Creation and

Evaluation at the National Employment Fund (NEF). 2. Mr Nfinyo Mabu – Jurist/Entrepreneur, Co-founder of the

inner city and intercity transportation company LeBus/LeCar, and VP of both companies. Current General Manager of a Civil Engineering Company; and consultant of Business Development and Facilitation of Foreign Investments.

3. Dr Michael Ananga – US trained corporate attorney (New York State Bar certified). From University of Yaoundé II, he went to Harvard Law School, 2004 Alum. Interned at World Bank for a year, and presently at Caisse de Stabilisation des Prix des Hydrocarbures(CSPH), in the Petroleum sector in Cameroon .

4. Ms Olivia Mukam – President of Harambe-Cameroon, and promoter of the Elevator Pitch Contest in Cameroon

Judging CriteriaJudging CriteriaJudging CriteriaJudging Criteria (Modeled after the MIT100K)

Some memorable and constructive comments by the Jury:

Mr Edouard Kotto: “This is a great exercise to get students to express themselves in public!”/ “when you make a pitch you have to know your facts accurately, because there might be some experts in the room.”/ “Don’t confuse being dynamic with being agitated!” Mr Nfinyo Mabu: “Failing to Plan is Planning to fail” / Helen Keller once said the worst thing for someone to have is “sight with no vision” (and she is blind)/ “Your allure,

eloquence and charisma played in your favor.” Dr Michael Ananga: “We want to feel the drive and energy in your voice” / “spend 10% of your pitch telling us about the problem, and the remaining time you tell us what your solution is”/ “This is not a speech, it’s pitch!” Ms Olivia Mukam: “You identified the problem very accurately, however the solution was very vague.”/ “You

awakened our conscience to the problem of disabled people in our community, we understood the impact your solution would have on the community.” / To the Big Question – “Do you want another meeting?” I say “YES!”

1. Presentation (5pts) o Body Language/ Charisma/ Clarity/

Articulation/ Passion/Enthusiasm 2. Opportunity (5pts)

o Problem identification / Pertinence/ Target customer identification

3. Solution (5pts) o Value proposition / Strategy o (Financial) viability/ Profitability

4. The Big Question - Do you want another meeting? (Are you interested and convinced by the presentation?)(5pts)


The Project IdeasThe Project IdeasThe Project IdeasThe Project Ideas

A range of project ideas were presented, including solutions to waste management, magazines targeted to teenagers, infrastructure and employment for disabled people, safe playgrounds for children in neighborhoods, intensive agriculture in urban areas. The judges and audience found the ideas varied and interesting. Some dwelled too long on identifying the problem, and didn’t have enough time to propose a solution. Others proposed a solution but didn’t propose any strategies. Some made the audience laugh with their way of speaking; others made the audience sympathize with their timidity. In the end, it was a very entertaining, skill-revealing, and impactful event.

TheTheTheThe 4 WINNERS4 WINNERS4 WINNERS4 WINNERS

The First Prize– Mr Abdou Yianinyi Njoya, BAC+5, Development Management – CIFADDEG. Project: FUN RUBBISH. As the title suggests, this project will incite people to have Fun with Rubbish. He proposes a system of recycling inspired by the Cameroonian Flag: Green – For organic material, Red – For Plastic, and Yellow – For Glass. Mr Njoya will make his project sustainable by selling each type of rubbish to interested parties. The organic will be sold to famers, as manure and fertilizers. The plastics will be sold to local manufacturers that recycle plastic. The glass will be sold to the Brasseries du Cameroon (Brewery Company). With the leverage of Harambe-Cameroon, Mr Njoya will be able to tap into the network of business man and corporations Harambe gathers, to support and fund his project. The Second – Mr Frank Betote, Masters in Management, UYII. Project: Methods to address the scarcity of tomatoes. Problem Identified? The scarcity of tomatoes in the Cameroon market. Why is it a problem? It’s an indispensable cooking element in the average Cameroonian’s kitchen/ Tomatoes have multiple virtues for good health. Proposed solution? Increase the production and variety of tomatoes/ Strategies? Propose new varieties of tomatoes on the market/Identify propitious zones for the harvesting of tomatoes/ Motivation? A customers’ market with a high demand for tomatoes. There was a tie for the third place. The audience voted for the best of the two with a show of hands. The crowd favourite took the third place, and the other was automatically 4th. The 3rd Prize: Mr Jules Edang, BAC+4 , Development expert, CIFADEGG: Project: A Fried Plantains&Eggs Fast food on college campuses that will employ students. This Fast food will be a practical and feasible solution to the problem of unemployment of university students. It necessitates minimum seed funding to start of the business. The 4th Prize: Mr Yvanne Ndeko, Second year, Human Resources, Ndi-Samba Supérieure. Project: Vulgarization of solar panels. In order to remedy the electricity shortage of the National Electricity Company, why not promote the increased use solar panels in various homes?


The 4 winners received their Award Certificates, with the following prizes, sponsored by the US embassy: 1st =150.000FCFA ($300), 2nd = 100.000 ($200), 3rd =75000 ($150), 4th = 50000($100).

CCCComments/Feedbackomments/Feedbackomments/Feedbackomments/Feedback

The audience appreciated this innovative way of competing in Cameroon. The 90 seconds-to-convince, kept the audience alert, entertained and captivated by the process of finding solutions to pending problems in our community. Many appreciated the opportunity it gave students to express themselves in public. Many admired the dynamism and creativity they discovered in the youth. At the end of the event, students wanted another opportunity to express themselves; parents wanted to have another event that will promote their children’s skills; and the institutions and companies present expressed their interest in collaborating with Harambe-Cameroon, to perpetuate this creative, entertaining

entrepreneurial competition. Lowlight – Media coverage was low. Out of 20 Press organs invited, 2 were present – Africanews.com and Radio Environment. However, we were able to capture the event on video. We are also confident that as the buzz around Harambe-Cameroon grows, we will be able to attract more press coverage.

Top Row - Harambe-Cameroon Team. Bottom Row – The Four Winners


RRRResolutions/Way Forwardesolutions/Way Forwardesolutions/Way Forwardesolutions/Way Forward Based on the success of the First Elevator Pitch Contest (EPC), Harambe-Cameroon will specialize in hosting Elevator Pitch Contests for One year. The Plan of Action will be as follows: The“Elevator Pitch Contest” will be renamed “The Problem-Solvers – 90seconds to convince” 1. There will be 4 competitions in a year, hosted every trimester - March, June, September, December. This will allow 3 months of planning:

� 1 month of media and university campaign, 1 month to pre-select and select the top-20 contestants, and 1 month orientation and training session to prepare them for the competition.

2. Each Problem-Solver Competition will be Theme-specific. The theme for the upcoming contest in June is on the Environment – Solutions to environmental problems, ranging from waste management, climate adaptation, promoting healthy habits, hygiene and sanitation, urbanization, green technologies, agriculture innovation, renewable energy, and more.

� During the first EPC, we realized many students dwelled too long on identifying the problem, and had little time to propose solutions. Henceforth, we will tailor the competition towards finding solutions.

3. The Event will have 3 components:

i. Presentation of the topic at hand. � A guest speaker will present an overview of the theme,

including the challenges and opportunities in the specific sector. ii. Showcase Success Stories.

� Cameroon’s Youth has few role models to look up to. This section is our opportunity to highlight movers-and-shakers in out society. For the upcoming event in June, one of our Success Story will be Mr Francis Sumegne – Architect of the world-renown Douala Monument.

iii. The Problem-Solvers’ competition. � The competition provides an opportunity zone for students to

express their project ideas. 4. Building Effective Synergies:

� Harambe-Cameroon will highlight Cameroon’s latent potential, and in partnership with organizations and government agencies, collaborate to implement students’ projects, by providing funds, business coaching, and follow-up.

� Various entities have shown interest in partnering with Harambe-Cameroon to train the students, and help implement their projects. Notably: Technipol, The Ministry of Employment, The Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises, The National Employment Fund.

5. Create a Harambe-Cameroon Youth Fund

a. This Fund will ensure seed funding for Harambe-Cameroon candidates, with promising and viable projects

b. This Fund will sustain Harambe-Cameroon’s operations, both in the short-run and the long-run.


Special Thanks toSpecial Thanks toSpecial Thanks toSpecial Thanks to our sponsors our sponsors our sponsors our sponsors

Your financial support contributed to the success of this event. On behalf of Cameroon’s youth, we say THANK YOU.

The USThe USThe USThe US Embassy in Cameroon Embassy in Cameroon Embassy in Cameroon Embassy in Cameroon Mt FMt FMt FMt Féééébbbbéééé Hotel Hotel Hotel Hotel

Individual sponsors:

Mrs Aline Djoumessi – CREATIVE, Douala

Mr Simplice Suffo – CAMEX, Douala Mrs Jeanette Mukam – Sijel Services,Yaoundé Mr Emmanuel Mukam – CACOCO-BTP, Africa

Contacts

Adrien Tchuidjang Olivia Mukam Vice-President President Email: [email protected] [email protected] Tel: +237 7562 0000 Tel: +237 7013 5705

www.hendeavor.org /harambecameroun.blogspot.com

harambe-cameroon - elevator pitch contest - report

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