Accelerate Prosperity is an initiative of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in Central and South Asia, with a mandate to create sustainable enterprises by investing in companies that can enable social, environmental and economic growth while delivering good capital returns.
Our Services
AP offers creative financial solutions and pre and post investment technical assistance to growth
businesses and startups after a rigorous selection Process. It follows comprehensive selection criteria
and due diligence process to offer financing for high growth high impact SGBs that create multiplier
effects across the value chain in terms of revenues as well as jobs
Financing and Investment
Accelerate Prosperity (AP) offers catalytic financing of up to PKR 30 million to existing businesses and innovative ideas with high potential to grow and impact.
- Other Requirements: Mortgage land or building
- Ticket size: PKR 1 million – PKR 30 million
- Instrument: Patient debt and quasi equity
- Interest rate: Equivalent to inflation
- Term: up to 10 years
International Certificate in Entrepreneurship
Start your Business with us
International Certificate in Entrepreneurship (ICE) is a joint initiative of AP, E4Impact Foundation (E4Impact) of Altis School of Business of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Milan for existing and aspiring entrepreneurs to help start and grow their business ideas and early stage businesses.
We accept applications for the program once every year where select entrepreneurs receive a customized training, advisory and required financing to start a business or grow an existing startup.
Business Acceleration
Grow your business with us
AP’s Business Acceleration is a tailored investment-readiness and patient financing services for existing SGBs with medium or strong revenue streams and having significant potential for growth. It is designed to help select SGBs in target geographies to unleash growth and achieve scale with the help of customized training and advisory, investment readiness tools and financing/ investment.
National Health Incubator (NHI)
Incubation and Investment Services for health technologies and innovation
NHI is a joint initiative of Accelerate Prosperity, Pakistan (AP) and the Aga Khan University (AKU) which aims to catalyze commercialization and growth of new technology, innovation and services being manufactured/ created by entrepreneurs in the health sector in Pakistan.
EdVenture
Acceleration and Investment Services for educational technologies and innovation
EdVenture is a joint initiative of Accelerate Prosperity, Pakistan (AP) and the Aga Khan University (AKU) which aims to catalyze commercialization and growth of new technology, innovation and services being manufactured/ created by entrepreneurs in the education sector in Pakistan.
AP’s Co-Working Space
Accelerate Prosperity Co-working Space is the only state of the art co-working space in Gilgit Baltistan which aims to facilitate tech innovation and freelancing, networking, and prepare the young generation for the future of work in today’s fastest growing and competitive market.
What do our clients say about us
When we started we had very ambitious plan which wasn’t based on any feasibility, AP pushed us to rationalize our expansion plans without taking undue risk and it helped us to take holistic approach which enabled us to realize weaknesses in our processes and in same time guided us to opportunities relevant to us.
AP helped us streamline all our business processes. We started proper record keeping after 10 years of running our business. We now do proper planning and costing of every new investment in the business and set clear goals for every new initiative.
In addition to financing AP educated and trained to running our business professionally. It helped us make linkages with other businesses across Gilgit Baltistan (GB) and international investors. Being part of AP’s cycle has increased our visibility across GB and we have received demands from different parts of GB with the help of our connections made during AP’s trainings and networking events.
AP is not only about financing. Before AP I had plans which were practically impossible and it helped us realize that it’s easy to think of great ideas but implementing them takes realistic and smart planning, time, investment and hard work and it also trained us to manage all the processes of our business.
Very informative, really made me think about possible scenarios to do business. The training sessions with mentoring approach helped me to believe in myself. It motivated and pushed me to quit the job and plunge into the business. In simple it has been a wake-up call for me. The onsite business assessment (due diligence) and facilitations of the team triggered up to improve the quality of the business and now my business is growing day by day and I am achieving my mission to continue inspiring others to create value for the community. Thumbs up AP, it’s all because of YOU! Last but not least, it’s REALLY a ROADMAP for new and experienced entrepreneurs.
Our engagement with Accelerate Prosperity for the past 8-9 months has been a streamlining undertaking that has forced us to bring our operations into a more professional and sustainable model. We have been forced to ask ourselves some tough questions during the process that has brought further clarity to our value proposition and business model.
Much more than financing, our whole company, its operations, processes, financials, audits, future strategy and financial model was streamlined as a result of AP’s acceleration services.
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Frequently Asked questions
Step 1: Submission of Application Form for Investment.
Step 2: Application Shortlisting.
Step 3: Interviews of Shortlisted Applications.
Step 4: Business Training & Advisory.
Step 5: Submission of Information Memorandum & Financial Models.
Step 6: Pitch for investment.
Step 7: Due Diligence of selected applicants.
Step 8: Investments for shortlisted businesses.
Our Interest is 8% and Diminishing.
We Offer financing from 1 Million up to 10 Million.
Along with AP’s loan, we help streamline all the processes of the business and prepare them to unlock larger investments. We also do business diagnosis to reduce the risks of loss and failure in business and also assist in mitigating those risks. As part of our Technical Assistance Facility we offer tailored trainings and advisory clinic designed based on the results of the business diagnosis to fill the current gaps in the business and make them investment ready.
We do not proactively hunt and provide market linkages to businesses however, we offer numerous opportunities through our mentor’s network, subject matter specialists, tailored trainings and advisory to network and build market linkages. In past we have successfully intermediated national and international market linkages for our portfolio businesses. We have also conducted GBC’s first ever conference in Islamabad in which we invited more than 60 investors from across the globe in the conferences.
No. The owner is expected to attend all the trainings because he/she is also going to appear in the pitch to the investors. However, the owner can bring along a staff for the trainings, for example the finance officer can join the financial modeling training.
AP offers International Certificate In Entrepreneurship for new ideas and startups. This is to be offered by Accelerate prosperity, E4Impact Foundation of Altis School of Business (Italy) and Karakoram International University (KIU). Entrepreneurs completing our business training and advisory will improve their capacity to execute and realize their business ideas and enable them to qualify for our final pitch session. Entrepreneurs meeting all assessment requirements of the training and advisory program will also qualify for international certificate in entrepreneurship.
The total duration of the trainings is Five days stretched within two months advisory.
Firstly, AP makes sure to extend financing only when the business is financing ready and the amount offered also depends on the capacity of absorption of the business. Then AP secures its loan by collateral and if the business fails, the business will have to pay back the loan as per agreement signed.
Business Criteria
- A unique and innovative business model with potential for causing or contributing to
positive economic and social transformation. - A clear market niche, sound target market and customer base.
- Realistic competitive advantage in terms of price, quality and easy/ large access.
- Strong revenue and profit models, potential for scalability and growth.
- Strong value chain effect.
- Impact potential.
Personal Criteria
- Strong entrepreneurial traits, including (but not limited to) leadership qualities, risk taking, street smartness, ability to do more with less etc.
- Coachable team, including (but not limited to) openness to advisory, learn, ability and
openness to constantly iterate, adapt and evolve based on changing conditions, realities or
assumptions etc. - Past experience in doing business, or as an employee in a similar industry, or subject matter
expertise relevant to the product/ service.
- Entrepreneurs from Pakistan who aim to launch a business anywhere in Pakistan, are eligible to apply.
- New, innovative and unique business models offering highly value adding, scalable and technological solutions and demonstrating potential for causing positive economic and social transformation will be preferred.
- Businesses from ALL sectors can apply.
- Not-For-Profit business ideas or institutions are INELIGIBLE to apply.
- Each entrepreneur should submit ONLY one application. Submission of multiple applications may result in disqualification.
Option 1: Post Application Form at our address Accelerate Prosperity, PDCN, Konodas, Gilgit.
Option 2: Scan your filled application along with deposit slip and send it to us at
start@accelerateprosperity.org
Option 3: Complete and submit your application form along with deposit slip on our
website: https://pk.accelerateprosperity.org
Note: AP also accepts the photocopy of application as well.
We are sector agnostic. We accept ideas of all sorts and sectors except for something illegal
or unethical.
Selected team members of Accelerate Prosperity potentially the investment and due diligence team and AP’s selected local and national mentors and investors will sit in the selection panel.
Pitch session and training of the selected businesses will be held at Accelerate Prosperity Business Centre, PDCN, Gilgit.
The loan is given for a period of maximum five years with a grace period of one year. After the first year the loan is paid back in 16 instalments where a diminishing interest of 8% will apply.
The selection process for financing will take up to four months. Once selected for financing it will take a few months to get financing for Accelerate Prosperity.
We will select up to 200 after interview phase who will go through the training phase, some of them may get dropped based on their performance during the training and the rest will make it to the pitch to investors.
We do not have hard and fast rules for dropping out. Your business can drop out of the process anytime during the pre-financing and after financing you can drop out from AP services but you will have to pay back the loan received as per agreement or all at once.
By the time of Due Diligence the business should have SECP registration, NTN number, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) NOC (If required), Information Memorandum and Financial Model ready, previous two years audits from any QCR rated firms across Pakistan if it’s an existing business.
