Cascador, an accelerator for mid-stage entrepreneurs in Africa who are scaling mission-driven companies, is closing the early application cycle on April 30th, driving the urgency for business owners seeking rapid acceptance to the transformational program.
Cascador offers a unique opportunity to drive scale for entrepreneurs, combining a one-week in-person “power intensive” in Lagos with 6 months of mentorship. All lodging and meals for the week-long immersion are provided by Cascador.
The program is designed to turbo-charge not only business growth, but the leadership skills, support network and teamwork that enable long-term success and profitability.
The 2023 Cascador program will be hosted from October 30th – November 3rd, 2023 at Lagos Business School.
Dave DeLucia, CEO of US-based Immunext and Co-Founder of Cascador, shared the vision saying, “Our goal is that alumni leave the Cascador program as strong, transformative leaders with a strategic plan to scale, and the connections, resources and capital required to execute their plan. Our world-class faculty and mentors are 100% committed to the success of our fellows and we have seen impressive results in innovation, market traction, revenue increases, and investment and lending activity.”
With 2023 as its fifth year, Cascador has a proven track record of elevating dozens of companies through an outside-the-box blend of education, mentoring, pitch training and personalized support, driving over $23M USD in capital raised by past Cascador fellows.
Alumni from past cohorts shared the impact of participation in Cascador through recent testimonial videos. Highlights include feedback from the CEOs of Advantage Health Africa and Afrimash:
“Cascador is worthwhile and meaningful when you are about to scale. Beyond your idea, there is a need to pay more attention to building an organization that will outlive you and grow in value if you were to exit.” Sharing about the Cascador experience, Abimbola Adebakin, CEO of Advantage Health Africa said, “The follow up, the mentoring, the network and the interaction in class is beautiful. Attending Cascador and being a Cascador fellow helped me have the confidence, stability and patience to attract a pre-seed investment of over One Million Dollars USD. We now have a more viable entity in Advantage Health Africa, and we are able to scale confidently.”
Ayoade Oyedotun, CEO of Afrimash, discussed the impact of Cascador, saying, “Shortly after Cascador, we were able to set up an Advisory Board which has been crucial to how the business has progressed since that time. After we set up the Advisory Board, we were able to access $150,000 USD in grant funding from USAID, which is going to help us to set up an agent network across Nigeria – something that we have been trying to do for years, but could not do.”
Cascador participants are mid-stage entrepreneurs with at least 2 years in operation. They should have annual revenue from sales that exceeds $50,000 USD per year or have raised at least $250,000 USD of capital. Participation is limited to 10 fellows.
When asked about applying for Cascador, Olufunto Boroffice, CEO of Chanja Datti and a 2022 Cascador fellow, stated, “I applied to the Cascador program because I’ve been running Chanja Datti now for 7 years and we are ready to scale. The curriculum that the program offers and the in depth content really resonated with me, and I’m so thankful that I was accepted. The faculty is world class. They understand both from the teaching perspective and hands-on experience what it takes to build a business.”
CEO of GeroCare, Dr. Ebi Ofrey, shared encouragement for potential 2023 applicants, saying, “Cascador is quite different from many other accelerator programs. The key thing is the level of mentorship and the people that you’ll have access to. I needed to hear perspectives from people who are experienced in the industry, but who wouldn’t have any bias. They are not investors, they are not key customers, but are telling you as it is for your benefit. These are people you would love to have on your Board, but may not be able to afford at this stage of your company. They are willing to teach, to be vulnerable, and to open up to you. Even before I left Cascador, the program was already helping to scale my business from the connections and doors being opened by the faculty.”
Learn more at www.cascador.org or on the accelerator’s YouTube channel.
Early applicants have the benefit of a smaller application pool and faster acceptance to the program so they can plan travel and prepare. Later applications face higher competition and a reduced number of available slots for participants.
Interested Cascador applicants can apply online for early acceptance through April 30th.
About the Cascador Program
Cascador is an annual, no-cost program focused on business scale. Accelerator curriculum is designed for mid-stage African entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and their leadership skills by working with successful American and Nigerian entrepreneurs from a wide range of industry sectors, backgrounds and geographic locations. A one-week annual intensive in-person program is augmented with preparatory exercises, self-awareness coaching, and is followed by 6 months of mentorship. Interested applicants, partners, sponsors and prospective faculty can learn more and contact the Cascador team at www.cascador.org.
