Pollinate Impact

Catalyst Circle: Our Peer Mentoring Programme with The Human Edge
2026-04-28 11:00 - 12:00 UTC
Leadership in the incubation ecosystem can be deeply rewarding, but it can also feel isolating. Across the Pollinate Impact network and beyond, many leaders are navigating similar questions — how to support entrepreneurs more effectively, how to grow their organisations sustainably, and how to sustain themselves while doing this work.
What if some of the most valuable support came from peers walking similar paths?
Catalyst Circle introduces a new opportunity for leaders across the ecosystem to connect through peer mentoring. In partnership with The Human Edge, this session offers a first look at the Catalyst Circle — a peer learning and mentoring programme designed to support leaders working in impact incubation and entrepreneurship ecosystems.
Rather than a traditional training programme, Catalyst Circle is built around structured reflection, shared experience, and honest conversations with peers facing similar challenges. During this 60-minute session, participants will gain an understanding of how peer mentoring can support both personal and organisational growth.
You will then hear directly from past participants from regions including Africa, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. They will share what motivated them to join, the key insights they gained, and what the live practice sessions were like. They will also reflect on how interacting with peers from different regions shaped their leadership.
Together, we’ll explore questions such as:
* What makes peer mentoring different from traditional professional development programmes?
* How can structured peer learning strengthen leadership and collaboration across the ecosystem?
* What does participation in the Catalyst Circle look like in practice?
We’ll also introduce the structure of the programme, expectations around participation, and key timelines for the upcoming cohort. The session will include space for live questions and open conversation, giving participants a chance to explore whether the programme is the right fit for them.
Whether you’re already part of the Pollinate Impact community or simply curious about connecting with peers across the ecosystem, this session offers a welcoming introduction to the Catalyst Circle and the community around it.

Pollinate Impact Annual General Meeting 2026
2026-04-22 12:00 - 13:30 UTC | Zoom (Link will be emailed to registrants)
The Annual General Meeting is a moment for the Pollinate Impact community to reconnect, reflect, and look at where the Network is today — and where it’s heading next.
Over the past year, the community has grown through new collaborations, shared learning, and conversations across regions. This session creates space to reflect on that journey and what it means for the Network moving forward.
We’ll share updates on the Network’s progress, key milestones, and overall organisational health. We’ll also open the floor for dialogue — giving members the opportunity to ask questions, share perspectives, and engage directly with others across the community.
You’ll hear reflections from the Pollinate Impact team and members of the Stewardship Group, sharing perspectives from across the Network and highlighting key learnings and developments from the past year.
This meeting is an opportunity to step back, connect the dots, and engage in conversations about the priorities shaping Pollinate Impact moving forward.
If you’re part of the Pollinate Impact Network, we encourage you to join the conversation — to stay connected with the community, understand how the Network is evolving, and play a role in shaping what comes next.

Pollinate Impact SG/Board Monthly Meeting
2026-04-21 15:00 - 16:30, 2026-03-17 15:00 - 16:30 UTC

CAT Kickoff: Building Smarter Screening & Selection Together
2026-04-15 11:00 - 12:30 UTC
For many impact incubators, screening is one of the most important and most demanding parts of the programme journey. It takes time, focus, and careful judgment to identify the right entrepreneurs for a cohort. And as application volumes grow, that process can become heavier, more uneven, and harder to sustain.
This two-part kickoff marks the beginning of Pollinate Impact’s first Collective Action Team (CAT) on smarter screening and selection. Rather than producing another static report, this is a working space for members who want to co-create something practical together grounded in the lived realities of impact incubators across contexts. The CAT is designed for those ready to move beyond identifying the problem and begin building more effective ways of approaching it.
In Part 1, we’ll focus on building trust within the group, validating shared challenges, and co-creating a problem statement that reflects what’s actually happening across your organisation. By the end, you’ll have moved from a shared pain point to a clearer, collectively owned direction for action. If screening and selection are challenges your team is grappling with, this is your opportunity to help shape what comes next alongside peers solving the same problem.

The Funding Flora: Conversations With Investors — Sector-Specialised Investor in Health, Climate, and Gender
2026-04-08 09:00 - 10:00 UTC | Zoom (Link will be emailed to registrants)
You’ve helped a founder refine their model. The impact case is strong. The mission resonates. But when it comes to raise capital, the conversation suddenly changes.
One investor asks about regulatory pathways in health. Another wants deeper climate data. A third asks how gender outcomes will actually be measured. What felt like a strong pitch suddenly becomes a very different conversation.
Across the Pollinate Impact network, this experience is becoming more common. As more investors specialise in particular sectors, their expectations around evidence, timelines, risk, and impact measurement begin to diverge. What works for one type of investor may fall flat with another.
The Funding Flora is where we begin to unpack these differences.
Sector-specialised investors are increasingly shaping the landscape of impact capital. Whether working in health, climate, or gender-lens investing, these investors often evaluate opportunities through very specific lenses – looking closely at evidence, sector dynamics, and the pathways to impact.
In this session, we’ll be joined by Andia Chakava from Graça Machel Trust, who works closely with founders and ecosystem builders supporting enterprises across these sectors.

What we’ll explore together
This is not a panel or presentation. It’s a two-way conversation structured around questions that continue to surface across the Network, including:

How does sector specialisation change what investors look for in a startup?
What sector-specific signals — or red flags — influence investment decisions?
How should incubators adapt their support for founders working in different impact sectors?
Where do sector-specialised investors see the biggest gaps in current pipelines?

Speakers will share what they are seeing from the investor side. Participants will bring what they are experiencing on the ground from the incubator side. Together, the session aims to surface practical insights that help incubators better support founders navigating sector-specific investment landscapes.
Who should join?
This session is open to all Pollinate Impact members and is particularly relevant for those working in:

Leadership or partnership roles
Fundraising support or investor relations
Programme design, especially where founders are being prepared for sector-specific investment conversations

If you’re working with founders in health, climate, or gender-focused ventures – or supporting pipelines across multiple sectors – this conversation offers a chance to understand better how sector-specialised investors think.
About The Funding Flora
The Funding Flora is a series of grounded conversations between impact incubators and investors across the Global South. Each session focuses on a different type of capital and examines how funding decisions are made, where expectations misalign, and what stronger partnerships look like when both sides better understand each other’s realities.
Speaker
Andia Chakava — Graça Machel Trust
Facilitator
Ruod — Pollinate Impact

Member Orientation 2026
2026-04-01 08:30 - 09:30, 2026-02-04 08:30 - 09:30 UTC | Zoom (link will be emailed to participants)
Member Orientation is designed to help you find your footing within the Pollinate Impact network. It’s a shared space for members to connect, understand how the network functions, and explore the tools, opportunities, and convenings available to support your work. The session offers practical guidance on how to engage meaningfully and make the most of being part of Pollinate. Our Community Choreographer, Ruod Ariete, and Membership Mobilizer, Sophia Morita, will guide you through all that’s available to you as a member of our Network, including fundraising resources, tools, and upcoming opportunities. During the session, you’ll explore:

Our Tool Library – Curated resources to help impact incubators run smarter, scale bigger, and better support their entrepreneurs.
Fundraising Opportunities – Including our curated grants and opportunities emailer, plus Fundraising Office Hours.
Convenings – Updates on learning spaces and member-only sessions with funders and ecosystem leaders.

You’ll also get a snapshot of what’s unfolding across the Network, including:

Upcoming Collaborative Action Teams (CATs)
Research Projects & Communities of Practice

The session also creates space to connect with fellow members navigating similar challenges and opportunities across the Global South. Join us to get oriented, understand what’s available, and begin engaging with the network in ways that matter most to your work.

The Funding Flora: Conversations With Investors Networks
2026-03-25 09:00 - 10:00 UTC | Zoom (Link will be emailed to registrants)
You’ve made a warm introduction. Your founder has a solid pitch. The investor says, “Interesting, keep us posted.”
And then… nothing.
Across the Pollinate Impact network, this experience is familiar. Referrals stall, feedback is limited, and it’s not always clear where expectations diverged. Was the startup not ready? Did the referral land differently than intended? Are investor networks looking for signals that incubators are not always preparing founders for?
The Funding Flora is where we begin to unpack these questions. The series creates space for honest, grounded conversations between impact incubators and investors across the Global South. Rather than focusing on pitch decks or funding announcements, the sessions centre on how capital actually flows, how decisions are made, and where collaboration can be strengthened in practice.

This session: Investor networks
Investors are often the first believers. They write early cheques—sometimes before traction is clear, before revenue stabilises, or before a full team is in place. Yet investor networks remain one of the most misunderstood sources of early-stage capital in the ecosystem.
In this session, we’ll be joined by speakers from Viktoria Ventures and ANGIN Indonesia, who work closely with investor networks across emerging markets. Drawing from their experience, the conversation will explore what makes incubator-referred startups stand out, where referrals tend to fall short, and how trust and readiness are assessed in practice.
What we’ll explore together
This is not a panel or presentation. It’s a two-way conversation structured around questions that continue to surface across the network, including:

How do investor networks actually source and evaluate deals?
What makes an incubator referral credible — and where does trust come from?
Where do incubators tend to over-prepare founders, and where do they send them into conversations under-equipped?
How do investors think about risk, timelines, and founder readiness at the earliest stages?
What could stronger, more transparent relationships between investors and incubators look like over time?

Speakers will share what they are seeing from the investor side. Participants will bring what they are experiencing on the ground from the incubator side. Together, the session aims to surface practical insights that can strengthen referrals, relationships, and long-term collaboration.
Who should join
This session is open to all and is particularly relevant for those working in:

Leadership or partnership roles
Fundraising support or investor relations
Programme design, especially where founders are being prepared for early investment conversations

If you’ve ever wondered why a “strong” referral didn’t land, or how to better position founders for investment, this conversation offers a practical place to start.
About The Funding Flora
The Funding Flora is a series of grounded conversations between impact incubators and investors across the Global South. Each session focuses on a different type of capital and examines how funding decisions are made, where expectations misalign, and what stronger partnerships look like when both sides better understand each other’s realities.
Less mystique. More mutual understanding.
Speakers
Fiona Kiruja, Viktoria Ventures
David Soukhasing, ANGIN Indonesia
Facilitator
Ruod, Pollinate Impact

Smarter Screening and Selection of Entrepreneurs into your Programme
2026-03-18 10:00 - 11:00 UTC | Zoom (link will be emailed to participants)
How much time, energy, and coffee does your team really pour into screening? It’s the behind-the-scenes story of selection that rarely gets told — and as application volumes grow, it quietly pulls resources away from deeper programme design and founder support: the work that actually moves the needle.
Sound familiar? You’re not alone. And we think there’s a better way forward together.

Here’s how it works:
The Build Table is a series of exploratory sessions where Pollinate Impact members dive deep into shared challenges. Each session presents a research-informed snapshot of a concrete problem emerging across regions and contexts — highlighting insights, trends, and potential directions for solutions. Sessions serve as the starting point for forming a Collective Action Team (CAT) of members committed to co-designing, testing, and piloting solutions together.
What This First Session Is About
Our partner Impact Intelligence has developed a beta AI-supported screening tool, informed by the participation of 20 member organisations — putting real data behind the anecdotal evidence surfaced across the network. The aim is not to automate decision-making, but to explore how AI, when trained responsibly using real incubator inputs, could help surface signal from noise, reduce manual effort, and support human judgment.
We’ll share:

A snapshot of what the network is seeing, where screening bottlenecks emerge, where processes break down, and why this work is best taken forward together.
Early thinking on an AI-supported screening concept is being explored with our partner, Impact Intelligence.

This work does not aim to replace human judgment or automate difficult decisions.
Instead, we’re exploring how responsibly designed support tools informed by incubator inputs might help surface signal from noise, reduce manual burden, and strengthen decision-making while keeping practitioners firmly in control.
What You’ll Walk Away With
By the end of this session, you’ll have clarity on:

Understand the key screening bottlenecks surfaced through Pollinate Impact’s early research — from common pain points to where processes break under scale
Gain clarity on why this is being taken forward as a CAT — not a one-off tool or webinar — and why collective action is the right approach for this challenge
Assess whether the problem resonates with your own screening reality and how your insights, processes, or data could help shape the solution. Leave with a concrete pathway to join the CAT cohort and help co-design what effective, ethical screening could look like in practice

We’ll close with an invitation to join the CAT cohort, a group of Pollinate Impact members committed to co-designing, testing, and learning together as this work evolves.
We’ve done the listening. Now it’s time to build. 🍽️
About The Build Table
The Build Table is where Pollinate Impact members move from shared challenges to shared solutions. Each session introduces a concrete issue emerging across regions and contexts, and invites members to join a Collective Action Team (CAT) to co-design, test, and build something practical together.
This is not a webinar series. It is a space for collective work.

Pollinate Potluck 2026 Appetiser: What Are You Bringing?
2026-03-11 09:00 - 10:00 UTC | https://www.pollinateimpact.org/event/pollinate-potluck-2026-appetiser/
Here’s the thing about this year’s Potluck: You’re not just attending, you’re cooking.
Participant-led sessions are where the magic happens. They’re how we surface the real, messy challenges from the field, how we learn from one another across borders and contexts. How do we build the kind of momentum that actually moves the needle?
This appetiser session is your backstage pass to the Call for Participant-Led Sessions. Think of it as a friendly walkthrough, no jargon, no perfection required, just practical guidance on what we’re inviting and how you can contribute.

We’ll cover:

What participant-led sessions are (and what they’re definitely not)
The three Potluck streams: Value Proposition, Talent, and Financial Sustainability, and how your idea might align with one or dance across all three
Session formats you can explore, from peer-led workshops to collaborative deep dives (yes, even escape-room style sessions, we’re here for it)
What makes a proposal strong (spoiler: it’s not about polish, it’s about purpose)

Here’s what we want you to know: You don’t need a perfect idea to show up. Early questions? Bring them. Exploratory thinking? We love it. Want to co-facilitate with another member or even a non-member? Absolutely welcome.
By the end of this hour, you’ll have clarity on how the call works, what’s required, the timeline, and whether you’re ready to submit. We’ll also save space for your FAQs and real talk about scope and facilitation.
Think of this as your orientation to the call and your invitation to bring something meaningful to the table. 🍲
Sample proposal

The Elephant & the Match: Incubators and Investors in Discovery
2026-02-27 10:00 - 12:30 (Europe/Moscow) | ABC Place Nairobi, Waiyaki Way, Nairobi, Kenya
Incubators and investors often talk about each other, but rarely with each other.
When they do connect, it’s usually through pitches, panels, or assumptions rather than an honest exchange.
The Elephant & the Match creates space for a different kind of conversation. This focused, in-person session brings incubators and investors together for direct, structured dialogue—designed to move beyond surface introductions and explore where real value, alignment, and collaboration may exist.
Building on earlier Pollinate Impact discussions, the session shifts from diagnosing the gap to engaging with it—one conversation at a time.
👍What you’ll gain

Clearer insight into how incubators and investors define value

Stronger questions for future fundraising or partnership conversations

A small number of meaningful connections built through honest dialogue

Greater confidence in navigating incubator–investor relationships

🌟Who this is for

Leaders and teams from incubators and accelerators

Investors and partnership leads

Anyone working at the intersection of incubation and investment

If bridging the incubator–investor divide is part of your work, this session offers a practical place to start.

What Evidence Says About Incubator-Incubator Collaboration and Value Alignment
2026-02-18 09:00 - 10:00 UTC
Collaboration between incubators is often touted as essential, but in practice, it can be hard to get right. Partnerships form with good intent, yet many struggle to deliver real value, sustain momentum, or align around shared priorities.

Signals from the Field is an interactive session that steps back to ask: what does the evidence really show about when incubator collaboration works and when it does not?

Drawing on Pollinate Impact’s latest literature review, this session invites members to examine what research and real-world experience say about collaboration, value alignment, and what makes partnerships truly meaningful. We’ll highlight key findings, discuss what aligns with your experience, and make time for open conversation across the network.

What you’ll take away

Get a clear snapshot of what research says about collaboration between incubators
Understand why value alignment matters and where misalignment often shows up
Explore common collaboration models and see where they tend to succeed or face challenges
Gain practical language to assess partnerships more thoughtfully
Help shape Pollinate Impact’s ongoing research agenda

Who should attend

Leaders and team members from incubators and accelerators
Partnership, research, or strategy teams
Decision-makers who are thinking about cross-organisation collaboration

Featuring

Himakshi Chaudhary (Pollinate Impact)
Anand Sri Ganesh (NSRCEL)
Gertrude Mawuena Goh (RUG Hub Ghana)
Keni Kariuki (Impact Hub Nairobi)
Peninah Kanyua (Dimewise)
Saurabh Lall (University of Glasgow)
Tony Sheldon (Yale School of Management)

If collaboration is part of your work now or in the future, this session will be helpful.

We’d love to see you there.

Reimagining ESO Futures with WDI: Building Pathways Forward for East Africa and Beyond
2026-02-11 11:00 - 12:30 UTC
Across the Global South, ESOs are navigating shifting markets, rising expectations, and tightening resources — and East Africa is no exception. In partnership with the William Davidson Institute (WDI), this Seeds of Success session takes a closer look at the research behind Reimagining the Future of Enterprise Support Organisations in East Africa to surface the region’s most urgent challenges and the practical solutions that can move us forward.
We’ll unpack key insights from the report, explore the evidence-backed recommendations WDI has put forward, and most importantly, open the space for ESOs to reflect on what these findings mean in their own contexts. Because at Pollinate Impact, we’ve seen these same challenges echoed across Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa — and we know that real progress happens when we turn shared pain points into shared solutions.

This session is designed not just to inform, but to mobilise. Together, we’ll identify high-potential solutions, explore what can be adapted or piloted across the network, and collectively imagine what the future of enterprise support could look like if we move beyond insights and into action.

Whether you’re an ESO leader, practitioner, or ecosystem builder, join us as we chart a path toward a stronger, more resilient support ecosystem in East Africa and beyond.

Speakers:

Wendy Taylor, President and CEO, William Davidson Institute at University of Michigan

Rajat Chabba, Sr. Director of Innovation & Partnerships, William Davidson Institute at University of Michigan

Yaquta Fatehi, Program Manager, Impact Management & Measurement, William Davidson Institute at University of Michigan

Karnika Yadav, Partner, Director – Africa, Intellecap

Coaching SMEs From Invisible to Investable with ONOW’s DayTwo
2026-01-27 09:00 - 10:00 UTC | Zoom (link will be emailed to participants)
This is a Pollinate Impact Members-Only webinar.
The Pollinators’ Toolkit is a members-only event series that shares practical tools, tested frameworks, and real-world lessons to strengthen our support for impact incubators.
Informal record-keeping is a significant barrier to entrepreneurs’ access to finance. Most small businesses worldwide use receipts, notebooks, and memory, making them invisible to lenders and hard for impact incubators to assess or support.
In this hands-on Pollinator’s Toolkit workshop, Pollinate Impact member ONOW will showcase how its fintech platform turns everyday SME financial activity captured informally in photos, chats, and voice notes into clean, dated financial records and lender-ready signals. Already used by more than 600 businesses, DayTwo generates weekly income statements and daily cash flow visibility. The tool helps incubators see real financial health, coach with more precision, and connect entrepreneurs to capital with less friction.
If you want to move from

Guessing at your clients’ financial health based on incomplete or outdated information

Struggling to connect entrepreneurs to lenders due to a lack of credible documentation

Coaching without visibility into real-time cash flow or profitability

Being unable to demonstrate measurable financial outcomes to your funders and stakeholders, this session is for you.

What to expect:

Introduction to behaviour-based financial tracking: See how DayTwo converts messy, informal records into structured data and credit signals that lenders recognise.

Learn how daily habits become investability signals: A live exercise contrasting paper tracking with digital records, showing how simple behavioural nudges translate into financial credibility.

Actionable coaching frameworks: Walk away with practical tools for interpreting profit and cash flow, plus a hands-on demo showing the platform in action.

Speakers:

Matthew Wallace, Co-founder, ONOW Myanmar, Co-founder and CEO, ONOW Ascent Inc
Nathan Temeyer, Co-founder, ONOW Ascent Inc

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The Pollinators’ Toolkit Series
The Pollinators’ Toolkit series is designed to equip impact enablers with practical, field-tested tools and resources to strengthen organisational capacity and improve how you support entrepreneurs. We know there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to enabling impact, so this series showcases adaptable models, frameworks, and practices that you can make your own.
Whether you’re looking for financial sustainability models, mentoring strategies, or impact measurement frameworks, the Pollinator’s Toolkit is here to help you strengthen your operations while staying true to your work.

Member Kickoff & Connections 🎉
2026-01-22 09:00 - 10:00 UTC
Members – Come join us as we start the year together!
As we step into a new year, we’re creating space to do something simple and important.
Pollinate Pulse: Kickoff & Connections is our start-of-the-year member gathering: a relaxed, energising moment to reconnect across the network, meet new faces, and get a shared sense of what’s taking shape in the year ahead.
This is not a formal presentation or a webinar. It’s a warm, interactive space designed to bring members together — to reflect, exchange, and begin the year grounded in community and collective direction.
Why this gathering matters
The work of impact incubation doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s shaped by shared questions, emerging priorities, and the people doing the work every day.
At Pollinate Pulse, we’ll:

Create space for members to share what they’re excited about, curious about, or grappling with as the year begins
Surface themes and signals emerging across the network
Offer a clear, high-level snapshot of Pollinate Impact’s focus for the year ahead, grounded in what members are already surfacing
Strengthen connections across roles, organisations, and geographies

You’ll leave feeling more connected, energised, and oriented to what’s coming — and how you might want to engage this year.
Who this space is for
This gathering is for everyone across Pollinate Impact member organisations:

New team members looking to get oriented
Practitioners deep in the day-to-day work
Leaders and CXOs wanting a clear view of what’s ahead

If you’re part of a Pollinate Impact member organisation and want to start the year connected to the Network, this space is for you.
What to expect

🌟Light, interactive prompts to spark conversation and reflection
🖧 Time to reconnect and meet others across the network
🗫A short, accessible strategy snapshot — conversational, not formal
🤗A welcoming, low-pressure environment where your voice matters

Come as you are. Join for the full hour or as your schedule allows.
Start the year with the Network!
We’d love to see you there.
