IGNITE Challenge Malawi

Eligibility and Who Can Apply Women and youth-led ventures are strongly encouraged to apply. Malawi-based ventures Over 2 years operations with financial records Locally led with at least 2 full-time founders Ventures should be post-revenue and market-tested, Have a strong founding team. Have a pathway to impact either; market access, nutrition, financial inclusion or climate resilience. Target Audience This challenge is designed for growth-oriented ventures that are already selling products or services and can demonstrate traction, market demand, and potential to scale. Strong applicants will show how their business improves food systems, strengthens agricultural value chains, supports farmers or consumers, and contributes to inclusive economic opportunities in Malawi. Business Activities include: Food Processing and Fortification Market Aggregation Cleaning sorting, grading and packaging Branding, labelling and certification support Digital marketplaces connecting farmers – buyers Contract farming facilitators and off takers Food and nutrition SMEs, B2B trading and brokerage linking farmers – buyers Food value addition Storage and post-harvest Logistics and distribution of value-added products to markets Food quality testing and safety assurance services Program Benefits Performance-based Grant of up USD 40,000 per venture Market linkages – links to structured offtake through WFP systems, including the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme. Certification & Compliance support: help with registration, certification and compliance to unlock bigger markets. Tailored acceleration: a customized bootcamp, 1:1 coaching, mentorship and expert industry technical assistance. Investor connections and investment-readiness support, including deal-book preparation and investor introductions. Hands-on training through a 5-day residential bootcamp Demo Day exposure — the chance to pitch to a technical jury Submit Application Indicative Timeline Stage What Happens Timeline 1. Applications Close Final deadline for submitting applications. 24 August 2026 2. Screening & Due Diligence Applications undergo eligibility screening, interviews, and due diligence. September 2026 3. Notification of successful applicants Applicants are informed of the outcome of their applications. By September 2026 4. Acceleration Programme begins Selected ventures participate in the bootcamp, coaching, mentorship, Demo Day, and milestone-based grant implementation. Following notification Frequently Asked Questions My venture is still an idea or a pilot with no sales yet. Can I apply? Not for this round. The programme supports post revenue, market tested ventures, not concept stage ideas. Does my venture need to be registered? You should be a genuine, operating business. If you are not yet fully registered or certified, youlicensing. can still apply, and selected ventures receive support to complete registration, certification and licensing. I am based outside Lilongwe and Blantyre. Am I still eligible? Yes. The call is national and we especially encourage ventures from other districts and rural areas, including the priority districts of Chikwawa, Nsanje, Zomba and Phalombe. Can my cooperative or farmer organisation apply? Yes, if it operates as a revenue generating enterprise in the priority value chains and meets the eligibility criteria. Does it cost anything to apply? No. Applying is free, and no one is authorised to charge you a fee to apply or to be selected. What information will I need to apply? Basic details about your venture, what you do and the value chain, your traction and revenue, your team, your impact, and how you would use grant funding. You can see the full question set in advance in the application guide. Can more than one person from the same venture apply? Please submit one application per venture, with a single main contact person. In what language can I apply? In English or Chichewa. Radio and community information will also be available in Chichewa. How are ventures selected? Applications are first screened for eligibility, then scored by at least two evaluators against published criteria. Shortlisted ventures go through interviews and due diligence, and a WFP led Investment Committee endorses the cohort. Selected ventures attend a bootcamp and pitch at a Demo Day, after which final grant recipients are confirmed. When will I hear if I have been selected? We will contact all applicants with the outcome and next steps after selection by September 2026. The indicative timeline is shared on the portal. What happens if I am not selected this time? You will be notified, and some ventures may be placed on a reserve list. Submit Application:https://ee.kobotoolbox.org/x/xtgpPhHz