Are you a purpose-driven entrepreneur?

Eager to change the food system?

Passionate about regenerative agriculture and food?

  • Rita (28 years-old) started a food processing business that closed down after some years. She is a risk taker and #failingforward entrepreneur.

  • John (24) is a graduate student and trained permaculturist. He dreams of starting a biopesticide business but doesn’t know where to start.

  • Harriet (39) has a decade of corporate marketing experience with a national consumer brand and wants to build an agri-food business of her own.

We are looking for 3 types of potential founders of the agri-food businesses we will be building together

Are you a future founder ?

Are you like Rita, John or Harriet?

You are:

  • Eager to become (or grow as) a food system change-maker.

  • You are driven to push the transition to regenerative agriculture.

  • You are passionate about building commercially viable businesses to make healthy food available and affordable for all Ugandans.

  • You prioritise impact over personal wealth. You are deeply concerned by rising inequality worldwide.

  • You are convinced we need to re-design business ownership & profit allocation mechanisms for good.

We want to work with the 40 best potential founders we can find in Uganda.

We’re rather Rootical about that.

The application and selection process will run in 5 steps.

It’s an opportunity for us to get to know you, and for you to gauge whether you are made for changing the food system and joining Root!cal as a future founder.

How to apply?

  • Building a business that matters is serious business. Before applying, make sure to read through our website, join or rewatch one of the Rootical webinars, and check the FAQ to make sure you would be a fitting candidate and are up for the challenge.

  • Can you manage this? Do you have what it takes to become a Rootical Founder? Will you have time to commit?

    To help you decide whether to apply, we will first provide a self-scan tool with a series of clarifying questions to help you decide whether Rootical is a good fit for you.

  • Next you will be invited to submit a full application via the UNCAP platform. This is where we want to get to know you better: your talent, skills, drive, aspirations, and potential as a future founder.

    The selection process will include a series of questions to uncover your business acumen, cognitive abilities, financial literacy, and grit. You’re getting close, so go the extra mile.

  • If selected, we will contact you for a phone interview. This is where you will start putting in sweat to become a Rootical Founder. We’ll invite up to 60 people to this final selection round.

  • The first stage of our entrepreneur-in-residence programme is a 10-days, intensive food system leadership course. This stage is designed as part of our ongoing selection process.

    24 Of the 40 participants in this process will go on to the rest of the programme as potential founders of the businesses we will build together. All 40 will become part of the Rootical alumni and family to shake up the food system in one way or another!

Join our 3-step journey to build a regenerative business that addresses key challenges in the Ugandan food system.

We are looking for a first cohort of 40 Ugandan entrepreneurs to:

Identify, test and iterate on solutions and impactful business models to make those solutions work.

Become a food system leader and conduct a participatory analysis to identify key food system challenges.

Build teams around your regenerative agri-food business and get ready for take-off.

Join to become a founder!

Join to become a founder!

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Six businesses will be co-founded per start-up studio cohort to work towards product-market fit, onboard first investors and incorporate based on steward ownership principles.