Accel. Train the Trainer Africa MVP

[IMPACT]

In F7 we secured funding for our MVP project – Impact Innovation Accelerator – which sought to develop our purpose-led accelerator programme with suitable language and content for the Cardano business and developer community. This proposal follows on from this project, taking lessons from the MVP and participating developers, and turning it into a Train the Trainer model. This project is looking to implement this model in Africa with our partners WADA as an MVP, but with the scope for scaling this to other geographies in later funds, once proven. 

This project ensures Cardano gets the greatest ROI on the previous investment from F7 as it develops a sustainable, knowledge sharing, training programme that can be embedded in the Cardano ecosystem.  

Impact can be further divided by the Trainer (end users of the programme) and Cardano. 

For the Trainers – The end users of the programme 

At the completion of this project, there will be in place a fully formed and structured online training programme that will enable prospective trainers to deliver a version of our Impact Accelerator Programme, tailored specifically to the needs of developers in the Cardano ecosystem. 

This programme will provide trainers with all of the instructions and other relevant tools, information and other collateral necessary to ensure consistency around delivering a high impact, high value developer training experience. 

For developers, participating in the Impact Accelerator programme will provide them with the following value:  

• Define and outline their own personal purpose and then develop a pathway that aligns their own purpose with that of their business, and the Cardano project. 
• Discover what their own brilliance is and how that can be leveraged to serve both themselves and their stakeholders. 
• Map out a vision for using their expertise and passion to enable a business that can survive and grow to support their purpose and the whole Cardano Ecosystem. 
• Put in place a robust top-level plan for achieving that vision. 

For the Cardano Catalyst Project Community 

• Implementation of an impact focussed innovation accelerator programme that can be used to embed good business practice into the developer community in Africa. 
• A ‘Train the Trainer’ Blueprint for establishing Impact Accelerator programmes across Africa. 
• A research report on the feasibility of running similar programmes in other markets (namely India and Asia) 
• With our partners WADA begin developing a ‘generational’ impact accelerator programme in Africa, with opportunities for Alumni participation and direction. 
• This is part of a suite of proposals rolling out the product developed in our F7 MVP project “Impact Innovation Accelerator”. to the Cardano network The target groupings in this Fund are: 
• Impact Accelerator Africa (this proposal) 
• Impact Accelerator Rollout (submitted in F8 Misc) 

This proposal addresses some of the key challenge KPIs in the following ways: 

• Number of new African projects seeded in 2022 
• This MVP Train the Trainer project will lay the groundwork for future Accelerator Programme projects to be implemented by WADA through the 2022 funds, and will also reveal other opportunities to support developers or NGOs in Africa.  
• Number of African developers onboarded in 2022 
• The creation of Accelerator programmes for developers will support the development of Cardano in Africa, and create a streamlined, structured route for the growth and success of developers in Africa. 
• Local impact (measurable through user activity and reach) 
• This is a project that has potential across the continent, whether conducted locally in-person, online for participants across Africa, or a blended approach combining the two. 
• Local partnerships formed through WADA community hubs (size of institution + influence) 
• We will be partnering direct with local institutions working to support the development and adoption of Cardano in Africa. 

Once the programme in this proposal has been completed, the outcomes will be communicated by our social media channels on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube, as well as internally through our partners WADA and available Cardano channels. 

During the marketing phase of the project, we will be entering into conversations with multiple stakeholders in the Cardano ecosystem, these relationships will also form the core of our communication strategy post completion of the programme. These are made of developer groups and SPO networks, as well as other stakeholders within the Cardano community. 

We envisage the main challenge to be securing partners for the training. To mitigate this, we have partnered with WADA who would be able to take part in the training and then deliver Accelerator programmes in Africa, on completion of this project. Should this project receive funding, we are in a position to move ahead with WADA as a partner. 

A secondary challenge would be ensuring the project adequately prepares the participants to lead their own accelerators. This project is part of a ‘see one, do one, teach one’ pedagogical approach. Participants will be invited to observe an existing accelerator programme before going through the programme themselves. The next phase (in a following fund) will involve them running their own MVP of the accelerator programme. This will ensure participants are well prepared and supported along the journey. 

[FEASIBILITY]

We envisage a cohort of 10 trainers to participate on this iteration of the programme. Part of the report will assess the feasibility of increasing this number in future programmes. 

Project Roadmap: https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVOFWi7xA=/?invite_link_id=307292249830 

After voting takes place and funding is successfully secured: 

Project Management:

Develop detailed project plan, liaise with stakeholders and manage the programme elements throughout duration – 12 hours

Develop the Pre-Programme phase and get it fit for purpose:

Meet with WADA / local community hubs to discuss project – 12 hours

Agree desired deliverables from training programme – 24 hours

Map the process  – 10 hours

Adapt material for ‘Train the Trainer’ delivery – 18 hours

Refine, run and manage the Programme delivery phase:

Refine and deliver the programme – 22 hours

Conduct mid-session reviews – 20 hours

Programme administration – 18 hours

Refine, run and manage the Post-Programme phase: 

Collate key metrics -  4 hours

Conduct feedback interviews – 10 hours

Report consolidation and delivery – 10 hours

Overall, the project will have a duration of 8 weeks dependent on the availability of participants.

This is based on up 10 to participants

The total cost of this proposal is US$33,800

The cost rates that we have estimated are:

Edify R&D & management team – US$200/hr

Edify workshop delivery team – US$500/hr

Freelance support (Admin, VA, Marketing etc.) – US$100/hr

Project Management: - $2,400

Edify R&D & management team – 12 hours – $2,400

Develop the Pre-Programme phase and get it fit for purpose: – $10,400

Edify R&D & management team – 40 hours – $8,000

Freelance support (Admin, VA, Marketing etc.) – 24 hours – $2,400

Refine, run and manage the Programme delivery phase: - $16,200 

Edify R&D & management team – 30 hours - $6,000

Edify workshop delivery team – 18 hours - $9,000

Freelance support (Admin, VA, Marketing etc.) – 12 hours - $1200

Refine, run and manage the Post-Programme phase: - $4,800 

Edify R&D & management team – 24 hours - $4,800

The following skills are required to deliver our proposal.

• Capability to organise and run an incubator programme

• A platform to run an online programme

• An ability to attract appropriate people to the programme

• A method of measuring the success of the programme

• The ability to mentor, coach, consult and train participants in the programme

• The ability to adapt our existing programme into an SPO focused MVP programme

• The ability to construct and deliver a research report on the MVP programme

• The ability to engage with the Catalyst community to launch and leverage the programme

We have many of these skills within our current team and will welcome the contribution of others to further expand our collective capability.

From Edify Business Ecosystem: 

Harry Hellyer

Company – Edify Business

NED, and chairman, executive and business coach specialising in full value-based impact innovation programmes for enterprises and organisations.

Founding partner of 50th Generation – one of the UK's first Social Business Generational Accelerators – 2014-2018

Credited for supporting the development of the NHS's first Sustainable Development Vision and Strategy programme.

Coached Fellows on the Cambridge University, Programme for Sustainable Development,

Coached Fellows and Lectured for the Cambridge University, Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning - Social Enterprise

VP and director of strategy, marketing strategy and business development for several global IT, media and telecoms companies. 

Alan Casey

Company - Golgafrincham

Manager of a sovereign national grid control centre during a period of technological and cultural change.

Founder and consultant in an organisational effectiveness measurement system deployed into a global advertising and marketing communications network.

Founder of a conversational AI company creating systems that evaluate and improve competence in key organisational skills.

Member of the Edify Community.

Fellow of the RSA.

Jude Ugwuegbulam

Company – Mule Management

Jude help’s Coaches & Consultants digitise their customer journey and turn strategic ideas into business assets. Resulting in more leads, more sales and automated support. help Professional Practices (HR, Legal and Dental) struggling to implement and manage their data protection/GDPR compliance to gain clarity, control and, accountability.

Jon Arnett

Company – Equip Business

Background in Operations and Project Management with startups, small businesses and social enterprises.

Founder of a coaching and consulting business supporting small businesses and startups. 

Experience in coaching, facilitation, workshopping and programme delivery (online and in person)

Won multiple EU funded L&D contracts, delivering workshops on entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship and leadership to diverse stakeholders.

Member of the Edify Community.

Mark Constable

Company - Equip Business

25 years+ working in small business as a Leader, Founder, consultant and coach - Supporting impact focused business leaders in building future fit organisations

Proven track record of helping clients in building high value, high performing organisations focused equally on both wealth and wellbeing.

Relevant Experience:

Development and delivery of high impact leadership programmes for fast growth businesses.

Launched a business line providing specialised business development training to bid management and sales teams globally.

Member of the Edify Community.

[AUDITABILITY]

In terms of measuring and tracking progress of the project, we will be evaluating along a number of metrics. 

Key Metrics: 

1. Number of potential trainers engaged in marketing 
2. Number of applications received 
3. Number of successful applications 
4. Number of participants starting the programme 
5. Number of participants completing the programme 

These metrics will be measured on an ongoing basis throughout the project and will then we summarised in the end of project report, along with end of project debriefs with participants. 

We will also be running weekly project management meetings, assessing progress against the project roadmap, which will also be communicated through the Catalyst coordinator meetings. 

This project has tremendous scope for far reaching impact for the Cardano network, both in Africa and Internationally. 

Should this MVP Train the Trainer Accelerator programme be successful, we will have a blueprint that would allow: 

A) the creation of accelerator programmes across Africa, for the explicit support of developers using the Cardano blockchain, which would naturally support the development of hubs and centres of excellence. 

B) similar MVP’s to be developed for other geographies I.e. India and Asia 

As a result, our success indicators are split into short and long term. 

Success indicators: 

1. Short Term: All participants make it to the end of the programme 
2. Short Term: We have a blueprint Train the Trainer programme that is portable and scalable. 
3. Short Term: Community hubs have begun to engage developers in Africa for potential participation in an MVP Accelerator. 
4. Longer Term: A series of follow-on accelerators in Africa, nutured by WADA, which are run independently of ourselves (we will be available to support/advise, but we should not be required to attend or deliver) 
5. Longer Term: Increase in the number of African based Cardano developers, who are building sustainable and scalable businesses. 
6. Longer Term: Development of regional hubs in Africa delivering their own Accelerator programmes based on this blueprint. 

F7: Impact Innovation Accelerator: https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/385017 

This project is the extension of a F7 funded project, of which an MVP was produced in Fund 7 under the Catalyst Accelerator and Mentors challenge. The F7 project sought to prove the viability of this programme to support the developer ecosystem with a small cohort of early adopters. This F8 proposal takes the lessons from the MVP and will start to roll it out to the wider ecosystem with WADA as a Train the Trainer model. 

Within this proposal we have built in a review window to take the feedback and learnings from the MVP and make changes to the programme where necessary