Meet Our New Program Manager
Pangea Accelerator is excited to have a new staff, Daisy Chesang. She is our Program Manager. We had a little interview to get to know her better.
Welcome Daisy to the team. So, who is Daisy?
I am an entrepreneur enthusiast, a problem solver and a creative. I like to paint- it is my zen place when I need to just relax; and I am also a professional swimmer.
What is your educational background?
I have a degree in BSc science under recreation management and undertook multiple post-degree training on startup building by Y-combinator School. Additionally, I am certified in Creative and Innovation Hubs business under the CHA program by British Council.
How did you get into the entrepreneurial space?
I worked as an innovations and programs manager at Metta where I analyzed and developed strategies and innovative models that suit the needs, aspirations, realities, and current business operations of the company.There I gained valuable experience in program and innovation management, and especially how to bring value to startups, mentors and investors.I am also an innovation consultant with organizations and corporates keen on supporting their startup portfolios and also provide a human-centered design to problem-solving skills.
What drew you to Pangea Accelerator?
Pangea has a fresh unique touch to it and provides value for start-ups and investors that you won’t find elsewhere.
Could you tell us more about what Pangea Accelerator does?
Pangea Accelerator’s mission is developing the next generation of African entrepreneurs. We realised that the major problem African start-ups are facing is getting funding for their businesses. We connect African entrepreneurs to investors and in addition to that, we provide tailor made coaching and mentorship to the start-ups. Did I mention that we only support local start-ups?
Pangea has run several scale-up programs and also provided coaching sessions for entrepreneurs, especially in supporting businesses that were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
There is a new scale-up program coming up. Would you tell me more about it?
We are running this scale up program to help start-ups get fundraising to enable them to move from seed stage to series A. The program will run for 18 months. The purpose of this program is to provide potential investors for the scaleups, provide soft funding for the scaleups and also give opportunities for commercial partnerships or deals to the startups. In short our mission is to be the leading program in Africa for Scaleups on the journey from Seed founding to A-round.
What kind of start-ups can qualify for the program?
We are looking for startups that are up and running in the East African region. These are startups that have already identified their market and have some revenue coming in. We are sector agnostic, so we accept applications from start-ups in all sectors- provided that they already have some traction.
How long is the program and where does someone apply?
The program is 18 months long and to apply you can click here. The application will be open from 30th April to 30th May. The program is 18 months long to ensure that the startups get all the support they need to fully accelerate and also to focus on building relationships that will last long-term.
We gathered input from various scale-ups in East Africa and came up with our scale up program
Which has been tailored to better suit the start-ups in the program.
Any last words?
I encourage entrepreneurs that are hungry for growth of their scaleups to apply for the program. It will be an intense program and by the end of it, the start-ups will have achieved immense growth. The Pangea Team is highly qualified and set on helping start-ups achieve their goals.
