SDGs Investment Readiness Program
Accelerating youth-led solutions for the SDGs and boosting impact investing through a hands-on collaborative approach Create your accountLog inA unique program fostering sustainability
The United Nations SDSN Youth has published the Youth Solutions Report annually since 2017. The report features 50 promising projects (NGOs or social businesses) developed and implemented by young people that contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Youth Investment Readiness Program (YIRP) was founded to support these entrepreneurs and address their main common challenges:
O'Genius Panda
O’Genius Panda is a digital laboratory that provides the same practical experience as an actual laboratory would.
Nepal Tea
Distribution of the finest high mountain organic teas from the Mt. Kanchanjangha, aimed to support poor farmers in Nepal.
A global network of changemakers, mentors, experts and impact investors
Each entrepreneur is matched with an expert mentor, who supports the venture throughout the 16 weeks of program. Entrepreneurs attend weekly workshops on key subject matter, which are followed by concrete objectives and practical assignments. As they progress through the program, these assignments taken together build out the company’s impact investment deck.
Assignments are reviewed by mentors, who provide tailored feedback on each assignment. Ultimately, they are also reviewed by real-world impact investor, who provide valuable feedback to help each company refine their strategy and focus on what really matters.
A powerful investment readiness process
The curriculum of this 16-weeks online acceleration program was developed jointly by SDSN, SDSN Youth, and Babele. The program consists of 3 phases: Define, Market Testing and Storify. Participants feedback is very positive, here is what they say about the program:
Define phase
1. Orientation
2. Problem, vision, theory of change
3. SDGs Framework
4. Lean startup and market segment
5. Perceived challenges & validation plan
Market Testing
6. Market Testing and Experiments
7. Revenue Model, pricing & Forecast
8. Marketing & Salest strategy
9. Key metrics & SDG impact assessment
10. Financial modeling
11. Development Strategy & action plan
Storify phase
12. Stakeholder management
13. Negotiation
14. Pitch training & SDG storytelling
15. Investment proposition
16. Investor deck review
