Project: blueMoon Mentoring Pilot for Early-Stage Agri-Entrepreneurs

Location: Ethiopia

Client: blueMoon (Ethiopia’s first youth agribusiness incubator and seed investor)

Years: 2017–2018

Country: Ethiopia

Description

blueMoon partnered with The Human Edge to pilot a tailored mentoring programme for early-stage Ethiopian agri-entrepreneurs. The initiative introduced a group mentoring model to equip entrepreneurial teams with the confidence, leadership capacity and practical strategies to build scalable, sustainable agribusinesses—while also cultivating a new pool of trained local mentors to strengthen Ethiopia’s startup ecosystem.

Objectives

• Pilot a group mentoring model pairing one mentor with 2–3 co-founders per startup team
• Support the business development, resilience and scalability of high-potential agri-startups
• Strengthen entrepreneurial leadership, confidence and networks
• Equip local mentors with people-centred tools to guide others
• Create a pool of The Human Edge–trained mentors to serve blueMoon and the wider ecosystem

Approach

The Human Edge designed a 12-month structured mentoring journey combining:

• Mentoring Awareness Sessions and onboarding workshops for 6 local professionals
• Matching mentors with 16 entrepreneurs across 6 startup teams
• A trust-based, relational mentoring model focused on personal and business growth
• A mid-year refresher and regular jam events to maintain momentum
• Continuous support through check-ins to ensure sustainability of relationships and outcomes

Impact

Entrepreneur Development

• 100% of entrepreneurs would recommend the mentoring experience
• 88% said the programme was beneficial to them and their business
• 83% of businesses remained operational one year after the programme
• 50% of startups attracted investor interest (e.g. 3.2 million ETB raised at Lion’s Den event)
• Number of full-time staff across teams increased from 9 to 15
• Participants reported increased clarity, confidence and strategic growth

Mentor Development

• 100% of mentors would recommend the programme
• 60% reported significant positive shifts in their own professional lives
• 302 volunteer hours logged by mentors across the year
• Mentors reported deeper self-awareness, active listening, and empathy

Recognition & Results

• Gebeya-Net Technologies won the Slush Global Impact Showcase and was nominated internationally
• Biruk Girma (Bio-organic) was selected as Ethiopia’s first Skoll Emerging Leader (2018)
• blueMoon founder Eleni Gabre Madhin credited mentoring as a key factor in startup investment success

Key Takeaways

• Mentoring builds more than businesses: It grows confidence, clarity and leadership in founders—and empathy and listening in mentors.
• Group mentoring works: Pairing one mentor with a startup team proved cost-effective, scalable and deeply relational.
• Structured support fuels resilience: Even in fragile ecosystems, a well-supported mentoring model helps startups survive and grow.
• Ecosystem impact: The pilot helped create a local cadre of trained mentors, demonstrating a replicable model for other sectors.