Growth Guidance

Support for senior leadership.  Guidance that fits your reality. Tackling complexities together.

hero image of growth guidance

Leaders in impact incubation are motivated by a unique passion.  You care deeply about your mission and your team. You are committed to the social change your entrepreneurs bring about. Yet, the challenges faced by many senior leaders can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to  navigate them alone.

Real Support. Solving Real Problems

Impact incubators within the Global South, face unique challenges that range from financial sustainability, talent and culture to the nuances of strategic planning while balancing the needs of your funders to the needs of your entrepreneurs.  And often, you feel like you’re doing this alone which leads to burnout.  

This is why we created the Growth Guidance Programme to provide a  focused, one-on-one support, tailored to the specific challenges you and your incubator face.

Your Pathway, Our Starting Line

Whether you’re a leader in an early-stage, mid-stage or late-stage impact incubator, our Growth Guidance Programme will meet you where you are in your leadership journey.  Based on feedback from past participants, the following are the areas where we know we can make the most impact.

Fundraising Strategies

Expanding and strengthening your donor network

Financial Sustainability

Diversifying revenue streams beyond donations and grants

Leadership and Team Development

Recruiting and retaining the right talent

Succession Planning

Managing transition of incubator founders and leaders

Incubation Strategy

Making incubation practices more efficient and effective.

Governance

Strengthening board level processes & systems

Your Pathway, Our Starting Line

Whether you’re a leader in an early-stage, mid-stage or late-stage impact incubator, our Growth Guidance Programme will meet you where you are in your leadership journey.  Based on feedback from past participants, the following are the areas where we know we can make the most impact.

Fundraising Strategies

Expanding and strengthening your donor network

Financial Sustainability

Diversifying revenue streams beyond donations and grants

Leadership and Team Development

Recruiting and retaining the right talent

Succession Planning

Managing transition of incubator founders and leaders

Incubation Strategy

Making incubation practices more efficient and effective.

Governance

Strengthening board level processes & systems

The Growth Guidance Programme is a Tailored, Hands-on Journey.

We ensure that you learn the strategies you need and receive the support to put them into practice. Our goal is to help your organisation succeed in the complex world of social entrepreneurship. The programme guides you from insight to action in two clear phases: Guidance and Action.

Guidance

Personalised Guidance for Real-World Challenges

Personalised, one-on-one guidance meets you where you are professionally and operationally.  No two incubators are the same, and generic advice won’t get you far. Through direct, tailored coaching, you’ll receive guidance that reflects your context, stage of growth, and the decisions you face now. This support is relevant and immediately applicable.

Strategic interventions to unlock growth. 

We help you identify the barriers in your way. Together, we focus on two or three core areas where thoughtful intervention can make a meaningful impact quickly and effectively.

Practical support in critical areas. 

Some of the most important elements of running an incubator are also the most overlooked. We help you strengthen the foundations that keep your organisation resilient and effective.

personalized guidance

Action

Bridging Insight with Action

Once the guidance phase is complete, the real work begins: putting your plans into action.

We’ll work with you to match the best Technical Assistance (TA) providers who understand your specific geography, helping you implement your learning outcomes and ensuring you have the expertise needed to execute your plans.

Bridging Insight with Action

Pricing

We want the Growth Guidance Programme to be accessible and affordable, so we ask for a contribution based on your operating budget.

Incubator Budget of <$100k

Contributes $150 USD

Incubator Budget between $100k-$500k

Contributes $600 USD

Incubator Budget of >$500k

Contributes $1,000 USD

Meet Your Guides

Ananth Aravamudan

Expert and Consultant Climate Sector

Arun Venkatesan

Advisory Committee Member

 

Christopher Odongo

Chief Executive Officer

 

Jessica Stewart

Director, Programmes and Partnerships

Karthik Chandrasekar

Managing Partner

 

Keisha Gani

Senior Manager, Women’s Entrepreneurship

Paul Basil

Special Advisor

 

Paul van der Linden

Chief Executive Officer

Sridhar Ramanathan

Senior Vice President

What Our Past Participants Have To Say

“The Growth Guidance programme has been truly transformative, offering not just strategic clarity on our fundraising approach at IKP Eden, but also helping me personally develop a more structured way of thinking. Your insights, especially the real-world examples, added immense value and helped ground abstract ideas into actionable direction. I particularly appreciate your candour in sharing the donor engagement journey — it brought both inspiration and practical lessons.”
Aaqib Jameel's testimonial
Aaqib Jameel
Manager, Incubation & Funding, IKP Eden

India

“It has been an incredibly insightful and enriching experience, and I truly appreciate the opportunity to learn and grow. The discussions on donor discovery, pitches, and relationship management were especially valuable, and I am excited to apply these insights as we work to strengthen ONOW’s fundraising efforts.”
May Thin Zar Aung's testimonial
May Thin Zar Aung
Managing Director, ONOW

Myanmar

“Thank you for your incredible support throughout the Growth Guidance program. Your thoughtful facilitation gave us the space to ask hard questions, challenge assumptions, and translate complexity into clarity. We’re especially grateful for the way the program created space for meaningful exploration and a chance to dig into financial modeling with your guidance. That process has equipped us with tools we’ll carry forward well beyond the program.”
Agnes Jagongo's testimonial
Agnes Jagongo
Project Manager, Opero Services
Kenya

FAQ's

The Growth Guidance Programme (GGP) supports incubators at various stages and sectors by providing personalised guidance that complements Pollinate Impact’s existing offerings. GGP assesses each incubator’s needs, develops tailored solutions, and works closely with CXOs to ensure these solutions are actionable beyond the programme. At the outset, we help you identify your key challenges and collaborate to design targeted interventions, such as fundraising strategies, HR development plans, improved governance structures, or CEO succession planning. After the guidance phase, we evaluate the impact and benefits of the intervention. To date, we have supported 21 incubators across 15 countries in Africa and South and Southeast Asia.
As an incubator, you face many strategic choices and challenges, such as establishing an investment fund, developing a succession plan, and scaling programs into new regions. Operational challenges may include building a strong pipeline of incubatees, selecting high-potential candidates, creating effective mentoring programs, and developing an investor network. The growth guidance program offers personalised solutions to address these needs.
We ask that you commit 1 hour every two weeks for 3 months, with the option for additional sessions if needed. Please set aside 2-3 hours to prepare before each session. We also request midpoint and final feedback to help us improve the programme. We welcome your insights on how the guidance has influenced your incubator over time. To support our community, and while maintaining confidentiality, Pollinate Impact will share key learnings with our network so others can benefit from these experiences.
GGP has historically provided guidance in the following areas: sustainability, strategy, and business modelling, fundraising and donor engagement, incubation curriculum design and programme operations, team structure and leadership development, governance and finance, and establishing operating systems and processes.
Participants have gained knowledge in their targeted areas, demonstrated positive attitude shifts, developed deeper insights, and built stronger connections during and after the programme. Notably, incubators have begun implementing ideas from previous cohorts’ solutioning phases. For example, one incubator secured board approval to transition from a CEO-led to a board-led organisation. Another member improved their social media presence to highlight their expertise in climate-focused incubation.
No, guidance is offered to each participant on a personalised basis.
Pollinate Impact is committed to providing safe and secure spaces for its member incubators. We will maintain confidentiality regarding all issues discussed. However, we will share anonymised reports with Pollinate Impact stakeholders.
The Growth Guidance Programme (GGP) is open to Pollinate Impact network member incubators seeking tailored one-on-one support for their specific challenges and opportunities. We invite mission-driven incubators that are ready to grow and receptive to guidance. Eligible applicants must be the CEO, Founder, Co-founder, or CXO of an early or mid-stage incubator operating for ten years or less, and actively involved in daily operations. Applicants should also have a strategic initiative for their organisation that requires guidance.
Yes, along with your incubator’s CXO representative, we encourage up to three additional members to join relevant sessions as needed.
We strive to keep the Growth Guidance Programme accessible and affordable, and we invite your support. Contribution amounts are based on your budget: incubators with budgets under $100,000 contribute $150, those with budgets between $100,000 and $500,000 contribute $600, and those with budgets over $500,000 contribute $1000.
Please submit the application form, including details of your top three current challenges where guidance would be most valuable. You may also add any additional information to provide context. Applications should be submitted online using this form.

The deadline for the Application is 20th February, 2026. Spots are limited, so make sure to apply early!

Incubators will be selected based on the outlined criteria. The Growth Guidance Programme (GGP) is open only to Pollinate Impact network members who are ready to grow and receptive to guidance. Eligible incubators must be early or mid-stage and have operated for ten years or less. Applicants must be the CEO, Founder, Co-founder, or CXO and actively involved in daily operations. You should have a strategic initiative for which you seek guidance. With only 10 slots available and over 45 members, we will prioritise applications that can be effectively addressed within the program’s three-month duration. We may contact you for additional clarification after you submit your application.
No need! We ask that you remain transparent and open throughout the application process. If we need any clarification, we will contact you to discuss further.

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