NICEorg and Jaipur Rugs Foundation offers mentorship and funding opporutnities to cultural enterprises in Home Decor and Furnishing sector

Program Structure

1. Application through Business Plan

2. NICE Aarohana: Training will be provided to cultural enterprises in the following areas

– Entrepreneurial Journey and Leadership with Jaipur Rugs Foundation

– Fundraising and Finance

– Organization building

– IP and Cultural rights

3. NICE Angels Meet

– Preparing cultural enterprises to pitch to investor

– Working on the pitch deck

– Cultural enterprises pitch to NICE Angels

 

Important Dates

• 3 – 30 April: Applications Open : Download Pitch Deck & Prepare | Submit on the Website by 30 April 2023 (11 pm)
• 1 May – 10 May: Final selection of the enterprises | Shortlisted Finalists are Informed and agenda shared
• 22 May – 2 July: Mentorship in hybrid mode including field visits and experiential sessions
• 8 July: NICE Angels Meet

 

Eligibility

• Only for Indian companies or startups that are registered in India Or will be registered in India.
• Open only for startups which meet the Indian Cultural Enterprise criteria. Read more here.
• Please visit niceorg.in for more details on Values & Code of Conduct. Read the Blogs to have more clarity on cultural enterprise definition.
• Open to cultural enterprises with a minimum annual revenue of 10 lac for FY 2022 – 2023.
• Open ONLY for the founding team/ proprietor/ entrepreneur(s) and not employees.
• Startups which have not registered earlier with NICE or attended any other NICE programs are also eligible to apply.

 

Application

• All applications will be accepted from 3 April – 30 April ONLY on the program website – NICE Aarohana with JRF.
• Selections will be done on a rolling basis. Priority deadline for application is 15 April 2023
• All applications MUST ne submitted online via the Google form link: https://forms.gle/EixYB8shTedTrJKR7
• All applications MUST include the pitch deck in the given format: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1C5RpMa57Xu0QYXWZyMt77UONuo3lJk8v/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104711752738979254841&rtpof=true&sd=true
• Applications that are not submitted on the online page & not as per the pitch deck format WILL NOT be accepted
• Please follow the instructions on the Pitch Deck for filling up the slides
• For any clarifications during preparing your pitch deck, please email: aarohana@niceorg.in
• Please submit only ONE application per startup/ idea.
• Business plan deck submitted for your application has to be Original and not a copyright infringement of any other entity
• If the NICE committee discovers any dispute of copyright/ intellectual property- the submission will stand cancelled

 

Selection

• NICE team will first filter all applications and share with Selection Panel comprising of Industry Experts
• Selection Panel will score the shortlisted applications. Based on the scoring, 12 cultural enterprises will be selected for the program
• The cohort of 12 cultural enterprises will receive mentorship and will be coached for pitching to investors.
• The NICE team & Jury decision in selecting the 12 cultural enterprises is final and not open to any dispute in any form
• Upon selection, the cultural enterprises MUST pay a program fee of INR 5,000 to confirm their participation. Payment details will be shared only with the selected enterprises.

 

NICE Aarohana

• Entrepreneurs must show the seriousness and commitment for the entire duration of the program
• Entrepreneurs are encouraged to implement their learnings from the program into their businesses and growth plans.
• “A program calendar will be shared with all the entrepreneurs so they can block their time accordingly.

– During the offline sessions, enterprises MUST participate in all the sessions physically.

– During the online sessions, enterprises MUST participate in all the Zoom webinars. “

• Entrepreneurs will be expected to participate in all the sessions. No show will be understood as a lack of commitment. In case there is a genuine reason of absence, the program managers should be informed well in advance.
• Entrepreneurs MUST fill up the self-assessment workbook provided at the beginning of the session. This will help the program organizers plan subsequent sessions and mentor interactions.
• Sessions may be added or removed based on the feedback from the Entrepreneurs.
• Mentors will conduct group and one-on-one sessions on specific entrepreneurial challenges as indicated by the entrepreneurs
• Respecting the time of the mentors and entrepreneurs is necessary. All entrepreneurs should login 10 minutes before the sessions.
• Program facilitators will be attending the sessions along with the cultural enterprises. In case of any queries or follow-ups needed, the entrepreneurs must inform the facilitators.
• “Mentors may ask tough and challenging questions that are meant to push the entrepreneurs to think differently. We encourage the entrepreneurs to be open in their communication with the mentors and take the challenges in good spirit. However, at any point, if the entrepreneurs or mentors feel uncomfortable during the interactions, the program facilitators must be informed immediately.”
• Mentor contact details will not be provided to the entrepreneurs. If the entrepreneurs wish to connect with the mentors separately, they should do so via the organizing team.
• The organizing team must be informed of all interactions between the mentors and the entrepreneurs outside the program

 

NICE Angels Meet

• “NICE Angels Meet is a unique program that brings together a curated pool of investors willing to invest in cultural businesses. Know more: niceorg.in/nice-programs/nice-angels-meet/.”
• Participating cultural enterprises will pitch to these NICE Investors.
• Based on the discretion of the investors, these enterprises may raise funds
• NICE Angels Meet prepares cultural enterprises to face real worl challenges in fundraising. However, NICEorg doesn’t guarantee funding for cultural enterprises participating in this program. NICEorg will not be a party in the fundraise and willl have no stake in investors’ decision.

 

Program-related costs

• Selected cultural enterprises will have to pay INR 5000 for confirming their participation in the program.There are no scholarships or discounts.
• The decision to waive off the program fee rests solely on the organizers
• Selected entrepreneurs will have to bear their own travel expense to Jaipur.
• Accommodation on twin-sharing basis in the JRF guesthouse and meals will be provided in Jaipur by the organizers during the offline program duration.
• Enterprises are expected to make their own arrangements for travel, food, accommodation (if needed) outside the scope of the program.

 

Information & Privacy

• NICEorg and Jaipur Rugs Foundation will ensure utmost privacy & security of all applications on password & access protected folders.
• We will delete all the applications 30 days from processing the results & hence applicants must save their original versions securely.
• All participants MUST maintain confidentiality during the program regarding the sessions, investor information
• NICEorg and JRF branding must be used used wisely by the entrepreneurs and all attributes must be given to the organizers where necessary
• Any misuse of the NICEorg or JRF branding by the cultural enterprises can lead to disqualification.