1st SA Company & Runner-up: Clean Energy Business Plan
Last Updated on Sunday, 04 December 2011 19:12
Our CobelecTM business plan placed DalinYebo a runner-up at the CTI PFAN Africa Forum for Clean Energy Financing (Johannesburg, 15 September 2010). DalinYebo was the first South African company in a competition that saw ±60 entries from across the African continent. The joint winners were submissions made be a Greenewus Energy Africa Ltd (Uganda) and Barefoot Power (Australia), respectively.
CTI PFAN AFRICEF?
"The CTI PFAN Africa Forum for Clean Energy Financing (AFRICEF), seeks to nurture individuals, project teams and consortia, start-up and existing companies with environmentally beneficial business proposals with the aim of making them happen. The Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN) is a multilateral, public-private partnership initiated by the Climate Technology Initiative (CTI) in cooperation with the UNFCCC Expert Group on Technology Transfer. PFAN operates to bridge the gap between investments and clean energy businesses. PFAN identifies promising clean energy projects at an early stage and provides mentoring for development of a business plan, investment pitch, and growth strategy, significantly enhancing the possibility of financial closure. Projects may be proposed for inclusion in the PFAN development pipeline at any time" (www.cti-pfan.net).
AFRICEF was organized by the Climate Technology Initiative (CTI) and its Private Financing Advisory Network (CTI PFAN) with the support of the International Center for Environmental Technology Transfer (ICETT), and co-organized by the South African National Energy Research Institute (SANERI), the Energy Fund of Mozambique (FUNAE), the Rural Electrification Agency of Uganda (REA), the Private Sector Foundation Uganda Energy for Rural Transformation Programme (PSFU ERT), PPL International, Verde Azul, and the Uganda Carbon Bureau. AFRICEF is sponsored by the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the CTI and ICETT. ±220 registered participants (incl. government and NGO representatives, investors/financiers, technology suppliers, engineers, consultants, project developers and the finalists) attended the one day forum in Johannesburg on the 15 September 2010. The competition was judged by a panel made-up of representatives from the International Finance Corporation, Industrial Development Corporation and the Nolen Group.
Our Experience
From application to final presentation, there is not one webpage and no business school text book that could improve on the the CTI PFAN process and its formula of bridging the gap between entrepreneurs and investors. The concept of a "business plan competition certainly worked out well for the CobelecTM business plan. The guidelines, the templates (exec. summary and business plan), the time table and then of course the workshop and coaching was a very constructive and encouraging experience. The whole competition is of exceptional value to us (although the deals still have to flow) and it was very efficiently administered by the team from the ICETT secretariat and its local support from PPL. Last, but not least, the financial support (coaching professionals, airfares and accommodation to attend the workshop and the final presentations) was certainly appreciated.
The Coach - The Presentation - The Outcome
