The Blackfoot Rotary Club hosted a Shark Pond service project on May 7, 2024. Two entrepreneurs pitched their businesses for $1,000 USD startup loans. Ester’s Fashion (Ghana) and Dennis’s Business Services (Uganda)seek micro-loans from the generosity of the Rotary Club! Watch the recording and read the business plans (below).
Ester’s Fashion business plan and pitch video click HERE
Dennis’ business plan and pitch video click HERE
In a unique demonstration of global collaboration, the Blackfoot Rotary Club brought together entrepreneurs from Africa and business experts from the United States for an exciting episode of the Shark Pond TV Show. The show, an innovative platform for fostering entrepreneurship and connecting continents, provided two budding African business owners a chance to qualify for a microloan of $1,000 to expand their ventures.
Judges ask questions and get answers with the help of closed captioning
Ugandan business consultant Denis Mulando from Mukono and Ghanaian seamstress Ester Adjei from Accra captivated the audience with their entrepreneurial spirit as they pitched their business ideas to a panel of three distinguished judges from the Blackfoot Rotary Club: Tim Forhan, Trey Albertson, and Colleen Hancock. The contestants connected with judges via the internet, effectively shrinking the vast distance between the two continents.
Contestants and views anxiously await the decision of the judges
Participating entrepreneurs are carefully selected after completing a 12-week Self Reliance Course and obtaining a certificate of completion. The rigorous program ensures that contestants are well-prepared for the challenges of running a successful business. The panel of judges, comprising experienced business leaders from the Rotary Club of Blackfoot, scrutinizes contestants’ pro-forma financial statements and listens to their pitches before choosing the recipient of the microloan.
The transformative program, which relies on the generosity of Rotarians, provides a grant or gift that enables ambitious entrepreneurs to expand their businesses and create a ripple effect of opportunity and growth throughout their communities. Entrapov, a non-profit foundation connecting entrepreneurs with donors in the United States, facilitates interest-free repayments over a two-year period.
In case you are waiting to learn which entrepreneur won the prize, here are the results: The Blackfoot Club judges unanimously decided to award $1000 each to BOTH contestants! Everyone was a winner! The entrepreneurs will now make investments in equipment and operations in accordance with their submitted business plans and will make regular reports to the Blackfoot club in addition to “paying forward” the help they generously receive.
Big smiles from Ester and Denis upon hearing of their big win!
Their repayment funds are then reinvested, supporting additional entrepreneurs and driving the expansion of the program throughout Africa. Entrapov has already established a strong presence in Malawi, Uganda, Ghana, and Nigeria, demonstrating the initiative’s potential for global impact. Contestants and Rotarians half a world away from each other have made new friends for life!
