
Cascador 2020
OUR MISSION
Help mid-stage entrepreneurs grow their businesses and their interpersonal skills by working with successful American and Nigerian entrepreneurs
2020 PROGRAM: Nov 9-13 in Lagos.
At this time, we are planning for an in-person program if it can be done safely. If that is not possible, then the program will be virtual.
WHO SHOULD APPLY
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Mid-stage entrepreneurs with at least 2 years of operation and revenues from sales of >$50,000/year or >$250,000 of capital.
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You must embrace giving & receiving constructive feedback.
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Participation is limited to 12 entrepreneurs.
SCALING YOUR BUSINESS is the focus of the program. The business plan of each participant will be reviewed and enhanced by veteran mentors and peers.
2020 PROGRAM
November 9-13, 2020 in Lagos, Nigeria
The Cascador program is an intensive, in-depth examination of your interpersonal skills and business plans. The process begins prior to the on-site program and continues for six months afterward.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Personal development is the foundation of professional growth. Prior to the program, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire that generates a report about your personality type. You will have a personal, one hour video session prior to the program to interpret your report, and discuss how your personality type can work best with people of other styles. We will practice these interpersonal skills during interaction with the faculty and your peers.
YOUR PLAN TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS.
You will be required to submit your business history and future plan prior to the program. Your history and plans will be discussed with faculty by video prior to the program, so that the faculty can identify what support and resources you need.
PROGRAM OUTLINE, November 9-13, 2020
The program will focus on you and your business, with personal interviews and reviews. Daily topics:
Day 1: Increase self-awareness, leadership skills & high-performance team building
Day 2: Clarify the problem and the opportunity that your business addresses
Day 3: Sharpen plan to scale
Day 4: Enhance your ability to raise funds
Day 5: Pitch your enhanced business strategy to a panel of experts
SIX MONTHS of FOLLOW UP SUPPORT
Each participant will have a faculty follow up monthly for six months to support the implementation of new business plans and leadership skills.
OUTCOME
Learn to be more effective at fundraising, scaling your business and leading your team.
VENUE
The Cascador program will be held on the Lagos Business School campus. Housing will be provided at a hotel within walking distance.
CORE FACULTY
These core faculty will be present throughout the program to provide personal attention.

American biotech entrepreneur with >$120,000,000 cumulative revenue.

Lagos Business School adjunct faculty. Former CEO, GSK Nigeria.
CEO of TEEM, a full-service advertising agency in the US, experienced strategist and marketer

Veteran Mentors
These successful veterans will present their personal stories, review your case studies and address your questions.

Co-founder of Andela
and Flutterwave.
Forbes 30 under 30.

Partner, Y Combinator

Non Exec. Dir., Access Bank
Lagos Bus. School
adjunct faculty

Senior Manager, Verod Capital
MBS Columbia Bus. School

Founding CEO,
Samson International
Sold for >$1B

Deputy Dean
Strategic Management
Lagos Bus. School
EXPERT JUDGES
This panel will provide feedback on your pitch

Managing partner, Verod Capital. Has raised >$250,000,000 to invest in opportunities in West Africa.
Harvard MBA.

CEO, Wellspring Health. Harvard Business School PhD.

African Dev. Bank advisor
CEO, Nuli Juice.
Kellogg Bus. School,
USA Top 10.
LEADERSHIP COACHES
Elizabeth will provide individual review or your behavior profile and how to work effectively with different personality types. Seni will teach you to balance emotional connections with objective accountability to create a high-performance team.
SUCCESSFUL ALUMNI

Founder of My-Medicines.com. Raised $500,000 USD and launched 50 franchises.

Founder of OgaVenue, the largest on-line platform to book event venues in Nigeria. Raised additional funds and launched OgaHotel with six hotel franchises.

Co-founder of PlentyWaka. Launched ride hailing service and provided over 100,000 rides in the first five months. “Cascador raised my game.”

Founder of MobiCure. Doubled the number of subscribers. Committed to business success as a means to impact more lives.

Founder of PrepClass with over 400 tutors under contract. Expanded his vision of what entrepreneurs could do by interacting with the other Cascador participants.

Founder of Mothers Delivery Kits which sold over 500,000 kits to rural women. Launched a new business to sell nutritious baby food.

Founder of Xtraokids which has served children for 12 years. Developed a less capital-intensive business model which will enable significant expansion.

Founder of FarmCredit NG. Developed a more transparent and performance-based management style.

Founder of Farmer in Suit. Radical shift to a sustainable business model as a viable way to make the impact he aspires to.

Focused on becoming the ‘IKEA of Africa,’ Refined the business model with emphasis on B2C sales, digital marketing, ecommerce and social media and now earning over 100 new customers per month.

Founder of Farm Alert, helping farmers develop sustainable practices that will enable them to become more efficient first as an individual and also profitable as a business.
SPONSORS
Verod seeks to partner with companies with proven business models and high market growth potential.
Verraki Ventures is differentiated by its unique focus on creating a bridge between start-ups and corporates.
Future Africa is a platform that provides capital, coaching and community for mission-driven innovators. Talk to us.
Rising Tide Africa is a unique, trans-border women-oriented investment network.
Beta.Ventures invests in driven, early-stage entrepreneurs scaling tech and tech-enabled startups to become market leaders.
Developing responsible leaders.
Solving Africa’s business problems.
APPLICATION PROCESS
We are now accepting nominations for our 2020 program to be held in Lagos, Nigeria from November 9th - 13th.
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We are accepting applications through August 30th.
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Participation is limited to 12 mid-stage entrepreneurs with at least 2 years of operation, revenue over $50k/year USD or $250k USD capital raised.
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Promising applicants will be interviewed by video.
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The Cascador program is entirely free. Housing is provided at a hotel near the Lagos Business School. However, selected applicants will be asked to provide a refundable deposit to hold their place. The deposit will be 100% refunded when you attend the program.
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Please contact apply@cascador.org if you have questions about applying to Cascador 2020