ACE SME Acceleration Program

Built for women founders ready to scale.

ASAP will accelerate 40–50 women-led Ethiopian SMEs every year through structured business advisory services, weekly 1-on-1 advisory sessions, and direct investor access.

Apply now How it works

15 Training Modules

Business Strategy

Financial Planning

Marketing & Sales

ACE CoLab Access

Coworking space

Workshop rooms

Peer community

Demo Day

Pitch to investors

Partner network

Media coverage

0K+

Women-owned MSMEs in Ethiopia

40–0

SMEs to accelerate annually

Training modules

Core pillars

The Problem We Solve

Women-led SMEs in Ethiopia are underserved by design.

ASAP exists because the gap is real, the founders are capable, and the ecosystem has failed to show up for them.

Growth-stage founders have nowhere to go.

Most accelerators focus on ideation and early-stage ventures. Growth-stage SMEs, with real revenue and real teams, get almost no structured support.

3×

The barriers are layered, not single.

Women founders face compounding barriers: limited access to collateral-based credit, narrower professional networks, and a scarcity of dedicated working space.

What ASAP Offers

Five support areas, one integrated programme.

Every ASAP offering is designed to compound: structured advisory reinforces the 1-on-1 sessions, networking opens investor doors, and CoLab keeps the community alive.

Structured Business Advisory

15 rigorously designed advisory modules across 6 business pillars, delivered over 16 weeks by experienced consultants.

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1-on-1 Advisory Services

Weekly sessions with a dedicated consultant from our expert network, amounting to 200 to 300 hours of guidance per cohort.

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Peer Networking

Three structured events per cohort: a sensitisation workshop, a quarterly networking panel, and Demo Day.

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ACE CoLab Access

Full access to ACE CoLab's coworking space in Kazanchis: your session venue, workspace, and community hub.

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Investor Matching

Direct exposure to angel investors, DFIs, and development partners through curated introductions and Demo Day.

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The Programme

From application to Demo Day in 20 weeks.

A clear, structured journey, so you know exactly what to expect at every stage.

Phase 1: Application (2 weeks)

Submit the 8-step online application
Complete the ASAP pitch deck template & upload financial documents
Initial eligibility screening by case team
Shortlist announced by end of week 2

Submit the 8-step online application
Complete the ASAP pitch deck template & upload financial documents
Initial eligibility screening by case team
Shortlist announced by end of week 2

The Curriculum

Six pillars. Fifteen modules. One cohesive programme.

Every module builds toward the same goal: a business that is financially sound, operationally strong, and investor-ready.

3 modules

Organizational Strategy

Clear direction, investor readiness, resilient operations

Business & Operational Strategy

Capital Strategy & Investor Readiness

+1 more

4 modules

Financial Planning & Analysis

Sound finances, investor-ready books, sustainable growth

Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)

Financial Controls & Management Reporting

+2 more

2 modules

Human Capital & Talent

Build high-performing, compliant teams

Strategic Human Resource Management

Ethiopian Labor Law for SMEs

1 modules

Marketing & Communication

Know your market, own your brand, grow your customer base

Marketing & Sales Strategy

2 modules

Data & Digitalization

Decide with data, report with confidence

Data Analysis & Management Information Systems

KPI Tracking & Investor Reporting

3 modules

Legal & Regulatory Compliance

Protect your business, earn stakeholder trust

Legal Framework & Sectoral Compliance

Governance

+1 more

Explore all 15 modules

The ACE Ecosystem

ASAP doesn't stand alone.

Three complementary ACE offerings work together to surround our members with space, community, and inspiration before, during, and after the programme.

ACE CoLab

Where members learn, collaborate, and build

ACE CoLab is ASAP's home base: a modern coworking hub at Ethio-China St, KT 12 Building where cohort members attend advisory sessions, meet consultants, and work alongside a growing community of ambitious Ethiopian entrepreneurs.

Quarterly panels connecting members with women leaders

EmpowerHER brings together women executives, investors, and change-makers for quarterly panel discussions that inspire and inform. ASAP cohort members get front-row access and speaker opportunities.

ACE Advisors

The parent advisory firm behind it all

ACE Investment and Impact Advisors is a women-owned, women-led advisory firm based in Addis Ababa. ACE brings deep expertise in development finance, SME strategy, and ecosystem building to every ASAP cohort.

Our Impact Commitment