UNLEASH PLUS 2023 FAQ
Applications
UNLEASH Plus is a 6-month incubation program for early-stage social entrepreneurs who have a great idea and a phenomenal Team. The program supports Teams who are uniquely qualified to solve their particular problem, but need access to the skills, tools, mindset, networks, and resources that will push their solution from minimum viability to product market fit.
To participate in UNLEASH Plus, please note the following criteria before proceeding with your application:
SOLUTION CRITERIA:
- Solution that addresses one or more of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals
- Nonprofits, for-profits, and hybrid entities are welcome to apply
- Have a minimum viable product (MVP) i.e. your solution has been tested and validated directly with users*
- Documented feedback, references, or testimonials from early testing with actual users or prospective customers that demonstrate the market need for the solution
TEAM CRITERIA:
- 2 to 4 active Team members participating throughout the 6-month program
- Teams must include founders/co-founders, and all team members must have organizational decision-making authority**
- Ability to commit at least 8 hours per Team per week throughout the program
- Half of the Team members below 35 years old
- A legal entity with the ability to receive funds (Teams may be in the process of establishing their legal entity and should aim to complete the process by November 2023 in order to receive any potential funds)
Points with asterisks are further explained in the following FAQs!
No, UNLEASH does not charge a fee nor asks for any equity to participate in UNLEASH Plus.
Yes, approximately 40% of our previous participants have been non-profits. The program is designed to help for-profit, non-profit, and hybrid organizations build solutions that solve real problems and impact the SDGs while preparing them for long-term sustainability and scale.
Prototypes: All types of solutions (i.e. products, services, programs, campaigns, etc.) can be prototyped. A prototype is a simple, interactive representation of your solution that a user can actually use or experience in order to provide you with feedback on the value of its design. For example, a software application can have a sketch of a user interface, or a product can have a physical mock-up of the design. A services-based solution could be represented by a detailed process outlining how the partnership or delivery model works, or a draft agreement that describes the services to be delivered as the working prototype. While prototypes can vary, they all share the same trait of being designed for testing one or more features of the solution with users to gather feedback.
Minimum Viable Product (MVP): A Team should go through multiple iterations of prototyping and receiving feedback from users before developing their minimum viable product (MVP). An MVP is a version of your solution with just enough features to be usable by early customers who can then provide feedback for future product (or service) development. The key difference between a prototype and an MVP is that a prototype can be as simple as a drawing on a piece of paper. An MVP must be a version of your product or service that can actually be used by your user / customer and which has already received feedback from them. For further explanation of prototyping and MVPs along with a list of examples, see the Product School’s resource here.
How this relates to eligibility: Eligible Teams must demonstrate that they have developed an MVP and that they have direct feedback from users that has validated the solution.
2 – 4 members of your Team can join the UNLEASH Plus program. All team members must have equal authority to make organizational decisions, in addition to decision-making power for their respective workstreams. Interns/entry-level staff are not permitted to join the program. At least half of these Team members must be 35 years old or below.
No, while previous experience participating in UNLEASH programs is beneficial, it is not required.
No, applicants must apply to the UNLEASH Plus program with a minimum of two active Team members with the ability to participate at least 8 hours per week throughout the 6 month program and with equal decision making authority. This requirement ensures that each Team can benefit from sessions that are designed for Teams, and that Team members can distribute and manage the amount of work required by the program.
Yes, the program allows for a maximum of 4 individuals to participate from each Team; we are unable to make exceptions to this cap. The limit exists to ensure all Teams receive a supportive, high-quality experience in the program. Each additional participant who joins the cohort impacts the resources required to deliver the program. The 4 person limit per Team ensures that the UNLEASH Plus team can deliver the program within its available resources without impacting the program’s quality.
Yes, we understand that sometimes it is necessary to make changes within the Team due to differences in vision, availability, priorities, and goals. However, all Teams must have two active members participating throughout the program. The first month of the program will be focused on aligning the Team’s values, mission, and vision, and developing a six-month roadmap. We will ask Teams to make key decisions about Team structure during this time, after which we will not be able to allow further changes in participation.
No, we are limiting applications to just one solution per Team or Team member. While we are incredibly impressed by the entrepreneurial pursuits of prospective participants, we encourage you to pick just one solution that you and your Team are genuinely committed to launching. By limiting applications in this way, we will be able to select and support innovations that have the most potential for impact.
What does an ideal application look like?
There are plenty of guidelines and examples of pitch decks that can be found in Question 12 of the application form.
A problem statement is a highly specific description of your user, the pain or desire they feel, the reason that pain or desire exists, and the consequence of that pain or desire persisting. Generally we frame problems using this template, “[USER] needs to address [PAIN/DESIRE and CAUSE] because [CONSEQUENCE]”.
The below example displays how to break down each of these components to be targeted to a very specific user,
- USER: School going children aged 6-12 years in Assin North, Ghana
- PAIN, CAUSE: fail their exams, due to recurring low levels of engagement in the classroom
- CONSEQUENCE: Resulting in their non completion of primary education
A great MVP is one that has the minimum functionality for a user or customer to fully engage with your solution. The best applicants will have shown that they have developed a minimum version of their product or service and tested it directly with users. Successful applicants will have also displayed the learning from this testing by describing the insights they learned from their users during this testing phase. Examples of MVPs can be found here. Note that these examples are from private businesses such as AirBnB, but the concept can also be used for social services and products as well.
The primary benefit of an MVP is that you gain an understanding of your user/customers’ interest in your product without wasting time on features that end up not being wanted or needed. The sooner you can find out whether your product or service will appeal to users, the less effort and expense you spend on a product that will not succeed in the market. By having an MVP before joining the program, we will be able to then work with you to refine your solution until you have a product or service that really solves a core problem for your user and positions you to scale your impact.
Successful applicants will have displayed that they have regularly interacted with and learned from their users to inform the design of their solution (either product or service). Teams can do this through user interviews, surveys, and more. A user insight is a key piece of learning that the Team gained from these interactions with your users that impacted your solution. Importantly, a user insight is not simply asking your user if they liked the product or service. Instead, it should be something that improved your understanding of your user, the problem and why your user experiences that problem, and the design of your solution.
Let us look at an example of a social business called Vize, that allowed low wage workers to share ratings and reviews of their working conditions online. The founders were concerned that low wage workers would not be willing to share about their experiences (even anonymously) out of fear of retaliation from companies and subsequent job losses. Through user interviews, they learned that this assumption was not true! Instead they gained an important insight that low wage workers in local factories moved jobs every 3 – 4 months regardless, so they were more than willing to share information. Another insight the founders learned by talking to users was that factory workers didn’t trust the information they received online via Facebook from companies because companies would often lie about the working conditions. These user insights directly impacted Vize’s solution design and informed features on Vize’s own website. In this case, they went beyond just asking users if they liked the website, but why they used it the way they did (or didn’t) that led directly to useful insights and subsequently design pivots.
Program Details, Commitment, and Logistics
The first phase is an energizing and hands-on two-day virtual event that kicks off the UNLEASH Plus program in mid-Jun. Participants are introduced to the program structure, requirements, and peers. During the workshops, Teams develop a clear roadmap for the program, including setting their values, vision, mission, and intentional 6-month goals to achieve during the program.
The second phase is a 21-week interactive online program where Teams learn lean startup principles, run design sprints to strengthen product-market fit, develop high performing behaviors, develop feasible and viable organizational models, and measure their impact. The program is delivered through online learning modules and virtual monthly check-ins with the entire cohort where Teams receive direct feedback from Mentors, Experts, and peers.
The program ends with an intensive week-long bootcamp that is in-person during the Global Innovation Lab. This bootcamp will only be attended by the Top 25 Teams. During the bootcamp, Teams receive tailored support from world-class Experts to refine their strategies and pitch their solutions to funders and potential partners that will give cash and in-kind support awards. By the end of the program, Teams are empowered to grow the impact of their solution and expand their contributions toward achieving the SDGs.
The UNLEASH Plus program is a six-month commitment and requires at least 8 hours per Team, per week on average for the duration of the entire program. The program includes attendance at mandatory half-day sessions typically held over weekends that are spread out over the six months, in addition to the week-long in-person event for the top Teams. In order to accept a spot in the 2023 cohort, each Team must acknowledge that completion of the program and eligibility for the final in-person event depends in part on prioritizing participation in mandatory events, including:
- A 2-day virtual kick-off at the start of the program (3-4 hours each day, over a weekend)
- A series of Checkpoints held approximately every four weeks (3 hours, over a weekend)
- A 3-hour Pitching Showcase near the end of the program (3 hours, over a weekend); and, if selected,
- A fully immersive, 8-day in person event (location to be determined)
At the end of the program, only the top Teams will be selected for the in-person program. Teams will need to be fully dedicated to the program during the in-person event, and they are expected to plan personal and other professional commitments around this event. The Plus Team will provide you with ample notice of the finalized dates and location of travel for your preparation. Participants must make their own arrangements to secure a valid passport (i.e. valid 6 months after the event) in order to attend the final event if they are selected; please note this process can take 3-6 months.
In order to officially graduate from the UNLEASH Plus program (Phases 1 & 2) and receive a certificate as proof, Teams will be required to meet the following criteria:
- Complete program requirements: including attending and actively engaging during mandatory virtual events, completing required e-learning modules, associated assignments and design sprints and finally delivering an elevator pitch at the Pitching Showcase.
- Submit final program deliverables: including a summary of their solution, a detailed representation of their solution or business plan reflecting iterations that have occurred throughout the program, and a refined pitch deck.
More details will be covered during the first virtual event of the program in mid June.
By the end of Phase 2, the Top 25 Teams will be selected to attend the final phase of the program i.e. the in person program. In order to be eligible for selection, Teams must meet the above criteria at the bare minimum and will be selected based on their quality and performance on the above parameters. More details including weights of program requirements and guidance to improve chances of selection will be covered throughout the program.
The 2023 program will be mostly virtual, including the two-day program kick-off, monthly half-day checkpoints with Mentors and Experts, and online courses where Teams will complete several online learning modules focused on key aspects of their business model. For the top Teams at the end of the six-months, an in-person event will be held at a location to be communicated at a later point (previous locations have included Denmark, Singapore, China, and India).
Teams are free to participate in other fellowships, incubators, or acceleration programs. However, your Team must be able to commit 8 hours per week, attend all mandatory online or in-person events, and submit all required deliverables to graduate from UNLEASH Plus. Past experience has shown that the Teams that have invested the time and energy in getting the most out of the program have had the most significant growth and qualified for the in-person event. Since the UNLEASH Plus program curriculum is focused just for early-stage ventures, the skills and knowledge gained during the six-month program will increase Team capacity to join acceleration programs in the future.
UNLEASH does not directly invest in or fund solutions but serves as a bridge to equity-free grants, as well as a variety of in-kind Mentorship and support services. Our partners provide grants at the final event to the top performing Teams, and we offer opportunities for Teams to meet with potential funders and investors during the program (though funding is not guaranteed).
UNLEASH is dedicated to creating an inclusive and accessible program for all participants, and will adapt the program where possible to meet unique needs. Persons with disabilities can communicate their requests for accommodations for the application process or during the Plus program to [email protected].
We recognize that many participants have their own personal and professional lives to lead, and may run into challenges that prevent them from being consistently and fully active in the program. We ask Teams to be proactive in communicating potential challenges with us, and are always willing to provide flexibility and support when needed.
UNLEASH Plus uses multiple online platforms to run the program virtually and ensure our diverse cohort of Teams from around the world can join. Teams have access to various platforms and tools like Miro, Remo, Thinkific, and more that enable a high-quality and inclusive experience that still provide meaningful learning and engagement. The program also includes different types of engaging events, activities, and learning structures to ensure a dynamic and integrated program experience that directly brings UNLEASH’s passion and energy to participants.
The UNLEASH community is best known for its long lasting relationships and the informal platforms of engagement including WhatsApp groups and community events created by community members themselves! Apart from informal channels, there are official UNLEASH Ambassadors spread across the globe who actively promote the UNLEASH Innovation methodology and build community by forming connections, creating engagement opportunities, and sharing insights. The UNLEASH Community consists of almost 7,000 young social innovators and leaders, hundreds of partners, and an extensive network of Experts. UNLEASH also has an official community platform to enable active participants and alumni across UNLEASH’s portfolio of programs to connect with one another. The platform is an invite-only space where you can search for peers, partners, and Experts to support you in your entrepreneurial journey. Read more about the UNLEASH Community.
The program will be conducted in English to accommodate the global nature of the cohort, where we expect Teams to join from as many as 50 countries. Teams must have at least two members with the ability to speak, read, and write in English in order to engage in the program. Each Team must be able to complete online course work, submit written deliverables, discuss checkpoint requirements with Mentors, attend and interact in peer-to-peer and networking sessions, and pitch in English. It is completely acceptable to have Team members with varying degrees of fluency in English, as long as the above requirements are met.
No, UNLEASH does not own or claim to own any Intellectual Property (IP) rights, Patents, or ownership of solutions that originate from any programs, including UNLEASH Plus.
We encourage prospective participants and alumni of past UNLEASH programs to be active in the community and participate in other events and programs. You are welcome to apply to participate in UNLEASH Hacks or to become an UNLEASH Ambassador in the future. However, if you apply to the UNLEASH Plus program, you will not be able to apply as a participant in the UNLEASH Global Innovation Lab. As mentioned above, the final phase of the UNLEASH Plus program – the week-long in-person event – will take place during the Global Innovation Lab.
There will be an in-person final event (i.e. Phase 3: “The Future”) for top Teams, who will join the Plus track as part of the Global Innovation Lab. Travel logistics will be arranged with the selected Teams by the UNLEASH Secretariat.