GUIDELINES

Support Line 1 - Enterprise Development Services

1) Main Objectives

The SCAF Enterprise Development Support Line will partially cover the cost of providing enterprise development services to project developers. These services will be aimed at helping entrepreneurs and developers assess the feasibility of a venture, prepare business plans and investment proposals and undertake the preparatory work (permitting, engineering, contracting, fundraising, etc) needed to ready an investment opportunity. Each fund manager will decide the enterprise development services they will offer, based on regional needs, however the common elements of these services can involve:

• Identification and training of new ‘pre-commercial’ clean energy entrepreneurs and project developers,
• Targeted coaching services for specific promising investment opportunities and
• Co-financing of pre-investment feasibility studies.

2) Contractual Arrangements
Enterprise Development Support will be provided to the cooperating fund manager in the form of annual fees and will be time limited to between two and four years. The support is provided on a contingent grant basis, with the fund manager obliged to meet an investment schedule failing which they will be obliged to repay a share of the support provided.

3) Institutional Arrangements:
For the purpose of providing enterprise development assistance, each cooperating fund has the choice to either:

• Deploy own personnel for the realization of enterprise development services; or
• Contract a local/regional partner organization or expert that will realize all or a portion of the services.

In either case, the entity shall possess the adequate background and experience in supporting enterprise development in the energy sector, have linkages with industry, and be capable of providing technical support for the agreed duration.

4) Minimum Services Required

4.1) Training

Provide enterprise development training to a broad range of entrepreneurs and project developers.  The goal is to conduct workshops that will broadly raise awareness of investment opportunities in the clean energy sector and more specifically help participants begin to prepare investment proposals for the cooperating fund.

4.2) Coaching

The most promising entrepreneurs selected during the training stage will be invited to receive one-on-one business coaching support, guiding them through all stages of venture preparations and planning leading to successful submission to the cooperating fund’s seed investment committee. The entrepreneurs that are seed financed may then be provided additional coaching services to assist them with venture development.

4.3) Feasibility Studies

Limited support can also be used to co-finance feasibility studies of specific early stage ventures. Support Line 2 can provide more support for this purpose, tied to specific seed finance commitments from the cooperating fund manager.