Who we help
Built to Scale: a five-week accelerator for growing African organisations
Built to Scale is ARK Group International’s five-week, execution-focused accelerator. It helps SMEs, social enterprises and charities creating impact across Africa position themselves for funding and investment, and grow the trading income that makes them financially resilient.
Who it is for
Built to Scale is for established businesses and impact-led organisations, including SMEs, social enterprises and charities, creating impact across Africa. Ventures based on the continent and ventures led by the diaspora are both welcome. You do not need to have raised funding before, but you should:
- be beyond the idea stage, with a product or service, or experience delivering a programme
- have a team in place, or a clear plan to build one soon
- want to grow, expand your impact and strengthen your financial resilience
- be ready to commit the time and put what you develop into practice
The accelerator is not tied to one sector. ARK has worked across more than 15, from clean energy, clean water and waste management to health tech, agritech, education and the creative arts. A short introductory call checks that it is the right fit for your organisation.
What you work on, week by week
Map your funding landscape.
Identify the funding opportunities and funders that fit your organisation, and develop your theory of change.
Strengthen your funding proposition.
Build your anchor narrative, plan how you will engage funders and define your approach to financial sustainability.
Build your trading income strategy.
Refine what you sell and find practical ways to generate revenue while you pursue funding.
Shape your investment proposition.
Define your ideal investor profile, how to reach those investors, and an investment offer that manages risk.
Bring it all together.
Combine your work into an actionable funding and catalytic growth roadmap, using blended finance principles.
Across the five weeks there are nine live masterclasses, a kick-off meeting and a closing session, with weekly templates, tasks and feedback on the work you submit. The masterclasses cover identifying the right funding opportunities; your vision and theory of change; an anchor narrative for funding applications; sustainability frameworks for funding and revenue growth; refining what you sell into a scalable offer; generating income while you pursue funding and investment; your ideal investor profile; structuring an investment offer that manages risk; and bringing it all together through blended finance.
What you leave with
- A targeted pipeline of relevant funding opportunities and funders
- A clear theory of change and compelling narratives for engaging funders
- A refined trading offer and a practical strategy for repeatable income
- An ideal investor profile and an investment offer that addresses key risks
- An actionable funding and catalytic growth roadmap, with clear priorities and next steps
Who teaches it
You are taught and coached by ARK’s leadership team, Joevas Asare, Radhika Sanyal and Sidi Saccoh, with specialist experts Andy Ayim MBE and Janine Aguilera. Each session is led by someone with practical experience of putting the frameworks to work, so you can apply them to your own organisation straight away.
Two ways to join
Founder
£3,000, or two payments of £1,800
Nine live masterclasses; frameworks and templates; access to FundBridge; all masterclass recordings; the private cohort community; and eight weeks of sounding-board support after the accelerator.
Trailblazer
£5,000, or two payments of £2,800
Everything in Founder, plus three narrative strategy sessions to strengthen your funding and investment positioning, a one-to-one coaching session with an expert, and exclusive access to events with funders and investors.
Support during and after the programme
During the five weeks you have twice-weekly live sessions, a private cohort community, direct feedback on your submitted work and help with anything that holds up your progress. Afterwards you keep lifetime access to the frameworks, playbooks and masterclass recordings, so you can return to them as you put your roadmap into practice.
Our roadmap guarantee
Take part fully, complete the weekly tasks and submit your work for feedback. If by the end you do not have a clear, actionable roadmap that sets out your funding priorities, defines your trading offer and lays out your next steps for growth, you can ask for a full refund.
How to join the 2026 cohort
- 1
Apply on FundBridge
FundBridge is ARK’s funding platform.
- 2
Have an introductory call
A short call with ARK checks that the accelerator is right for your organisation.
- 3
Enrol by Friday 30 October 2026
You receive pre-course materials and access to FundBridge.
- 4
Start on Monday 9 November 2026
The cohort opens with the kick-off meeting. The final session is on Thursday 10 December.
Questions about Built to Scale
Is Built to Scale a course?
No. Built to Scale is a five-week, execution-focused accelerator. Masterclasses, templates and playbooks support you, but the work is practical: you complete weekly tasks, submit them for feedback and bring them together into an actionable funding and catalytic growth roadmap for your organisation.
How long does Built to Scale take?
Five weeks. Plan for about 2 to 5 hours a week, including two one-hour live sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1pm GMT and time to apply the frameworks to your organisation.
How much does Built to Scale cost?
The Founder place costs £3,000, or two payments of £1,800. The Trailblazer place, which adds strategy sessions, one-to-one coaching and events with funders and investors, costs £5,000, or two payments of £2,800. A roadmap guarantee offers a full refund if you take part fully and do not leave with a clear roadmap.
Who can apply for Built to Scale?
SMEs, social enterprises and charities creating impact across Africa, whether based on the continent or led by the diaspora. You need a product or service beyond the idea stage, a team or a plan to build one, and the time to put the work into practice. You do not need to have raised funding before.
What happens after Built to Scale ends?
You keep lifetime access to the frameworks, playbooks and masterclass recordings, and both places include eight weeks of sounding-board support after the accelerator, so you can keep putting your roadmap into practice.
