1. The Agora Accelerator Unleashing the potential of small business impact entrepreneurs

2. Outline The Problem: Poverty, Inequality & Lack of Opportunity Agora Partnerships: Mission & Overview Our Strategy: The Agora Accelerator Meet Our Entrepreneurs

3. Diagnosing the Problem

4. Poverty and Inequality Central America is one of the poorest and most unequal regions in the world

6. They make up less than 20% employment in low-income countries

8. Too small for a commercial bank loanThe best entrepreneurs are having difficulty finding the global support and investment they need

9. Jammed Market Gears High transaction costs Lack of deal flow for investors Lack of social and human capital Opportunity is being squandered

10. Agora Partnerships: An Overview

11. About Agora Agora Partnerships is a global community of individuals helping small and growing businesses fight poverty in Central America The Agora Accelerator finds the highest potential impact entrepreneurs with revenue under $1 million who use their business to address social and environmental problems Impact entrepreneurs incorporate multiple stakeholders, and help us usher in an era of sustainable capitalism.

12. Track Record Advised up to 400 entrepreneurs on business strategy and trained over 3,500 entrepreneurs Over 1,000 full-time, documented jobs have been created and sustained as a result of in-depth business advice Agora-supported companies grew employment over 60%; total wages and benefits increased by over 90% Launched the first micro venture-capital fund in Central America, investing $500,000 in 11 companies and attracting another $2 million from local investors

13. Key Lessons Learned Focus on quality Build a community and vocabulary for impact Invest more capital into sustainable, high growth entrepreneurial ventures in the world’s poorest places

14. The Agora Accelerator

15. Overview: Agora Accelerator A leadership and business-development program to help drive human, social, and financial capital into the most promising small business impact entrepreneurs in Central America

16. Eligibility Small and Growing Businesses with revenue between $50K and $1 million Must be led by an impact entrepreneur Must be able to articulate social impact Must be seeking capital to grow

17. Criteria Select the top 10 impact entrepreneurs with the highest potential each year Criteria: Entrepreneur Quality Business Case Social Impact

18. Goals The Accelerator aims to: Create a global network of support for impact entrepreneurs Generate investment-grade deal flow for impact investors Build a culture around innovation and sustainable entrepreneurship throughout Central America

20. Strategy Calls

21. Leadership Seminars

22. One-on-One Mentoring

25. Pitchbook Presentations

28. Build more than 3,500 affordable bamboo and cement houses in rural Nicaragua and Haiti

29. Supply solar-powered electricity to more than 40,000 low-income houses

31. Agora Entrepreneurs

32. Inaugural Class

33. Aida Mayorga Company Name Oscarito’s Location Nicaragua Description Designs and manufactures children clothing materials Expected Social Impact (3 yrs) - 50 new jobs for single mothers - Community leadership events Capital Requirements (6-18 months) $125,000

34. Manuel Aguilar Company Name Quetsol Location Guatemala Description Low-cost solar energy solutions Expected Social Impact (3 yrs) - Solar power 40,000 low-income houses - Hire 20 new employees Capital Requirements (6-18 months) $300,000

35. Will & Chris Haughey Company Name Tegu Location Honduras Description Manufactures and distributes playful magnetic wooden blocks for children Expected Social Impact (3 yrs) - Foster creative thinking in over 10,000 Honduran children - Align with 10 more FSC-certified woodcutting cooperatives - High-skilled training for 100% of employees Capital Requirements (6-18 months) $500,000 - $1M

36. Ben Sandzer-Bell Company Name CO2 Bambu Location Nicaragua Description Designs, manufactures, and field assembles pre-fabricated ecological structures for low-income homes and community shelters Expected Social Impact (3 yrs) - Build over 1,000 affordable homes - Grow employee base from 60 to 200 - Plant over 60,000 bamboo trees Capital Requirements (6 – 18 months) $650,000

37. Vielen Dank We align ourselves with entrepreneurs in poor countries who are working to make the world a better place through business. Join us to help bring about a more just, prosperous, and environmentally sustainable world. Gracias! BMW Young Leaders at Agora’s 5th Anniversary Reception, New York City