Enablis

What Enablis does

Enablis Entrepreneurial Network is a Canadian-domiciled non-profit organization founded in 2002 at the G8 Summit by founding partners Accenture, Telesystem, and the Government of Canada, and funded initially through a CAD $10 million commitment from the Canada Fund for Africa in 2003. The organization supports SME entrepreneurs in developing and emerging countries — primarily across Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, Mali, and Tanzania — with the stated mission of reducing poverty through job creation, reporting an average of 8 jobs created per supported entrepreneur and 2,414 cumulative members trained since 2004.

Enablis's core offering is a unified entrepreneur development methodology rather than a software product. It combines three components: networking (E-Circles modeled on the Young Presidents' Organization, plus themed E2E/E2R/E2O events), capacity building (workshops, seminars, academies, advisory services, annual diagnostics, and Individual Development Plans built on business evaluation and personal assessment tools), and mentoring (including an International Mentoring Program for advanced members). Members are recruited primarily through the Enablis Business Launchpad business plan competitions, run in partnership with local universities, training providers, and media sponsors across each operating country.

The organization operates as a nonprofit with no pricing for services; member entrepreneurs receive the program at no direct cost. Revenue is sourced from institutional and government aid funding, strategic-partner contributions (notably from Telesystem and Accenture), and program-specific co-funding (e.g., Margins Group for youth-empowerment work). It maintains wholly owned regional entities in Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, and Mali, with global headquarters in Montréal. Leadership consists of Founder and Chairman Charles Sirois and Co-Founder Paul Lamontagne.

Name

Enablis

Legal name

Enablis Entrepreneurial Network

Website

https://enablis.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Enablis is a Canadian non-profit that supports SME entrepreneurs in African developing countries through a unified methodology combining networking, capacity building, and mentoring, funded by institutional grants and delivered at no cost to member entrepreneurs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Entrepreneur Development Services

NAICS

Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Leadership, Management & Teamwork for Business (EDAMAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

SME & Entrepreneurship Development (Trade-Linked) (BPADAMAE)

Keywords

• Entrepreneur development
• SME mentorship programs
• Capacity building
• Business plan competitions
• Non-profit entrepreneurship networks

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government and Institutional Funding: Enablis operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily by government aid agencies and founding partners. The Canada Fund for Africa committed CAD $10 million to Enablis in 2003 through Global Affairs Canada (formerly CIDA).
2. Partnership and Program Support: Strategic partnerships with private sector companies like Telesystem provide operational and programmatic support. Partnerships with organizations like Margins Group co-fund specific programs such as youth empowerment initiatives.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Enablis is a non-profit member-based entrepreneur development organization that supports SME entrepreneurs in developing and emerging countries (Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, Mali, Tanzania) through a methodology combining networking, capacity building, and mentoring. Members are identified through the annual Enablis Business Launchpad competition and then receive access to E-Circle peer groups, themed networking events (E2E, E2R, E2O), workshops, seminars, academies, one-on-one and international mentoring, advisory services, and annual business diagnostics, delivered free of charge to entrepreneurs.

Product overview

Enablis is a non-profit entrepreneur development organization that provides a holistic member-based methodology combining networking, capacity building, and mentoring programs to support SME entrepreneurs in developing and emerging countries. Their offering is a single unified program rather than a modular software product, consisting of entrepreneur identification through business plan competitions, networking sessions (E2E, E2R, E2O, E-Circles), capacity building (workshops, seminars, academies, mentoring, coaching), and advisory services/diagnostics. They do not offer a technology product or software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Entrepreneur Development Program Holistic member-based program for SME entrepreneurs in developing and emerging countries combining networking, capacity building, and mentoring, delivered free of charge through Enablis country operations.
• Enablis Business Launchpad Competition Annual business plan competition run in partnership with local universities, training providers and media sponsors across Ghana, South Africa, Senegal, Mali and Tanzania; the primary channel for identifying and onboarding new high-potential member entrepreneurs.
• E-Circle Peer Support Groups Flagship peer-networking program modeled on the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO), in which members form groups of no more than 10 and meet 4 hours per month for confidential peer support.
• International Mentoring Program Mentoring program for Enablis' most advanced members, pairing them monthly with established international executives matched on mutual experience and interests.
• Capacity Building Workshops, Seminars and Academies Structured workshops, seminars, and academies covering business skills, legal/accounting/marketing/finance topics, delivered as part of the Enablis methodology to member entrepreneurs.
• Themed Networking Events (E2E, E2R, E2O) Themed networking events connecting entrepreneurs to other entrepreneurs (E2E), to resource holders (E2R), and to market opportunities (E2O), featuring guest speakers.
• Advisory Services and Annual Business Diagnostics Expert advisory consultations in legal, accounting, marketing and finance, supplemented by annual business diagnostics used to identify problems and define individual development plans for member entrepreneurs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,414 members trained and assisted since 2004
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Margins GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnered with Enablis Ghana in June 2017 to officially launch the Margins Youth Empowerment program. The program creates opportunities for youth with business ideas or existing businesses in the ICT sector to be guided and mentored.
• Telfree Group of CompaniesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Pioneering next-generation telecoms operator. In 2008, Yeigo Communications (founded by Enablis member Rapelang Rabana) partnered with Telfree Group of Companies, where Rapelang now works as Global Head of Research & Development.
• TelesystemcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002Private corporation that builds innovative international media and technology businesses. Telesystem has been involved in Enablis since 2003 with its Chairman of the Board, Charles Sirois, leading the organization's development. Telesystem is a founding partner of Enablis.
• AccenturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002Global professional services company. One of the three founding partners (along with Telesystem and Government of Canada) who launched Enablis at the G8 Summit in 2002. Supported the initial project development in South Africa in 2003.
• Young Presidents' Organization (YPO)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn South Africa, Enablis has a partnership with YPO offering members the opportunity to participate in the YPO Mentorship Program which pairs them with CEOs from top companies. YPO's model inspired Enablis' E-Circle program.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Endeavor: Global non-profit supporting high-impact entrepreneurs in emerging markets through mentorship, networking, and access to capital. Highly comparable to Enablis' mission of selecting high-potential founders and surrounding them with peer groups and advisors across developing countries.
• TechnoServe: Non-profit working with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. Directly comparable to Enablis in providing capacity building, training, and advisory support to SMEs in Africa and Latin America.
• Ashoka: Global organization that identifies and supports leading social entrepreneurs with fellowships, peer networks, and capacity building. Comparable to Enablis' selection-driven, peer-group-based model for supporting entrepreneurs creating social impact in developing countries.
• Acumen: Non-profit impact investor that raises charitable donations to make early-stage investments in entrepreneurs tackling poverty in Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. Comparable in mission and emerging-market focus, though Acumen emphasizes patient capital while Enablis focuses on capacity building and mentoring.
• SEAF (Small Enterprise Assistance Funds): Impact investment firm providing growth capital and capacity-building advisory to SMEs in emerging markets. Comparable to Enablis in serving SMEs in developing countries with both funding and non-financial support (training, mentoring).
• Anzisha Prize: African Leadership Academy and Mastercard Foundation initiative that finds, supports, and accelerates very young African entrepreneurs (ages 15-22) through prizes, mentorship, and training programs. Comparable to Enablis' youth entrepreneurship and capacity-building programs across Africa.

Broad incumbents

• Mercy Corps AgriFin: Global humanitarian and development organization with programs supporting SMEs and entrepreneurs in fragile contexts, including Africa. Comparable in serving developing-country entrepreneurs with capacity-building and market-access services, though Mercy Corps operates at much larger scale and breadth.
• Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE): Core institute of the National Endowment for Democracy supporting private enterprise and entrepreneurship in developing countries through training, advocacy, and institutional partnerships. Comparable to Enablis' capacity-building mission, but operating at policy and ecosystem level rather than direct member services.

Regional players

• African Leadership Network (ALN): Pan-African membership organization connecting high-growth African entrepreneurs and business leaders through peer groups and summits, with an explicit YPO-style peer-group model. Closely comparable to Enablis' E-Circle architecture, but focused on already-scaled African entrepreneurs rather than early-stage SMEs.
• Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF): African philanthropy that identifies, trains, mentors, and funds 10,000 African entrepreneurs across all 54 African countries annually. Directly comparable to Enablis in selection-based, training-and-mentoring support for African SMEs, though at much larger scale and with seed funding attached.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/enablis
• Facebookfacebook.com/enablisglobal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Enablis