Many social entrepreneurs in East Africa are pioneers who make life better for the people they employ and the communities they serve. They have the potential to scale their businesses and have an even bigger impact. However, they often need to understand their customers, business drivers, how to grow profitably and how to attract capital investments in order to achieve this.

Together with our partner Acumen, IKEA Social Entrepreneurship has co-created a tailored accelerator programme for twenty social entrepreneurs working in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Rwanda. This nineteen week programme will support the social entrepreneurs to develop a scalable business model, so they can improve more people lives who need it the most.


Applications are open and people can apply here.

This intensive programme starts in April 2020 and will combine virtual & face-to-face support for the social entrepreneurs, with IKEA co-workers playing an active role in sharing their knowledge, skills and experiences.

At IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, we aim to create greater opportunities for vulnerable and marginalised people. Working with Acumen, supporting these social entrepreneurs will give the people who need it better access to critical goods, services and sustainable livelihoods/jobs.