Apply for the Growth Track
Open to businesses operating for at least 12 months with consistent revenue. Places per cohort are limited and applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
TRACK 3 - GROWTH TRACK - SCALE AND MARKET ACCESS
My business works. I want it to scale.
For SME owners who have proven their model and are ready to grow beyond what they can manage alone into new markets, new revenue streams, and investor funding.
Year one of a business is about survival. Year two is about systems. Year three is about scale. If you've made it past the first year, you've done something most people don't manage. The Growth Track takes what you've built and amplifies it.
Growing a business is a different challenge from starting one. The problems are bigger, the decisions are harder, and the cost of getting them wrong is higher. Most founders at this stage are managing everything themselves and they know something has to change — but they are not sure what to change first.
The Growth Track works on four things at once: your financial readiness for investment, your digital presence and visibility, your access to new markets and partners, and the internal systems that let you scale without breaking what already works.
Is this for you
The Growth Track is for SME owners who have been operating for at least 12 months, have at least one consistent revenue stream, and know their business model works. You don't need to be a large business. You need to be a real one.
Good fit
Your business has operated for 12 months or more with consistent customers and revenue. You are ready to pursue investment, new markets, or both. You can commit to the programme over 4 months and are willing to share your financials with coaches and mentors
Not the right fit
You are still in the idea or early validation stage — the Launch Track is better suited. You don't yet have consistent revenue. You are not comfortable sharing financial information with programme coaches. You cannot commit to the 4-month schedule.
What the Growth Track delivers
Most people with good ideas don't fail because the idea was bad. They fail because they try to figure it out alone, skip the steps that matter, and run out of momentum before they run out of ideas. The Launch Track closes that gap. Over six months, you'll work in a cohort of fellow founders, guided by mentors who have built businesses before, in a workspace designed to keep you focused and a community that keeps you honest.
This is not a classroom. It is a building environment. You will be expected to work on your business every week, make decisions, test assumptions, talk to real customers, and show up accountable. If you are ready for that, you are ready for this.
INVESTMENT READINESS
Most SMEs are not refused investment because the business is bad. They are refused because the financial story is unclear, the projections are not credible, or the founder cannot answer the questions an investor will ask in the first five minutes.
You will define your target cuThe Growth Track works through your financial story from the ground up. You will understand your numbers, build a credible financial model, and develop projections that hold up to scrutiny. You will learn what investors in Ghana and development finance institutions actually look for — and you will build a pitch deck designed for a growth-stage business, not a startup.
DIGITAL PRESENCE
A business that cannot be found online loses customers and credibility before it has the chance to earn them. The Growth Track includes a digital presence package delivered by Duapa's in-house tech team at a rate subsidised for programme members.
You will leave the programme with a professional website, a consistent brand identity across your digital channels, a social media strategy that fits your resources, and a clear understanding of how to maintain and grow your visibility over time.
MARKET ACCESS
Duapa's partner network includes organisations that are actively sourcing businesses for market partnerships, grant funding, supply chain integration, and export development. The Growth Track gives you structured access to those relationships — not just introductions, but engagements designed to open specific doors based on your sector and stage.
You will also work on B2B sales capability, corporate supplier registration, and where relevant, export market readiness for businesses in sectors with regional or international potential.
BUSINESS SYSTEMS
Scaling a business that depends entirely on you is not scaling — it is just working harder. The fourth pillar addresses the systems that allow your business to grow without you doing everything yourself.
You will build or strengthen your financial management systems, document your core operations, develop a hiring and team plan, and build the internal structure that lets you lead your business rather than just run it. For many founders, this is the pillar that changes the most about how they show up every day.
How it works
The Growth Track runs over 4 months. It combines group sessions, one-on-one coaching, and applied working time — structured so that you are working on your own business every week, not just attending workshops.
Month 1
Audit and Diagnose
Understand where the business stands across all four pillars. Agree on the highest-leverage areas to focus on first
Month 2
Build
Work through investment readiness and digital presence with coaching support at every step
Month 3
Access and systems
Partner introductions and market access engagements alongside internal systems and operations work.
Month 4
Consolidate and present
Finalise your investment story, digital presence, and systems. Present at the Growth Showcase.
The Growth Showcase
The Growth Track ends with the Growth Showcase — a structured presentation event where participants present their businesses, their growth plans, and their investment requirements to Duapa's investor and development partner network
Unlike a startup pitch competition, the Growth Showcase is designed for established businesses making a credible case for expansion capital or market partnerships. The investors, corporate buyers, and development partners in the room are there because they are looking for exactly what Growth Track founders have built.
Your support structure
Dedicated Mentor
Every Growth Track participant is assigned a business mentor for the full four months. Mentors bring direct experience in SME growth, investment, and Ghanaian market development — and stay accessible between sessions, not just during them.
Peer Cohort
You go through the programme alongside other SME founders at the same stage. Monthly peer review sessions let you stress-test decisions, share networks, and hold each other accountable across all four pillars
Partner Network
Duapa's relationships with SNV Ghana, GIZ, MDF West Africa, Ghana TechLab, VC4A, and EuroQuity are live and active. You get structured introductions to the partners most relevant to your sector and growth goals.
Workspace and community
Full coworking access at Duapa Werkspace throughout the programme. On completing the track, you join the Duapa Nest alumni community — where long-term founder relationships are built.
WHAT YOU GET
- Four months of structured, mentor-supported business growth work
- Investment readiness coaching and growth-stage pitch deck development
- Duapa Investment-Ready Certification on completion
- Professional digital presence package — website, brand, and social media strategy
- Structured introductions to Duapa's investor and development partner network
- B2B market access support and corporate supplier registration assistance
- Business systems coaching across finance, operations, and team building
- Presentation slot at the Growth Showcase in front of investors and buyers
- Coworking access at Duapa Werkspace throughout the programme
- Alumni membership in the Duapa Nest community
What success looks like
60%
of Growth Track alumni access new markets or partnerships within 6 months of completing
6 mo
from programme start to Growth Showcase in front of investors and buyers
6+
active partners sourcing businesses through Duapa's growth network
By the end of the programme, you have a business that can articulate its value to an investor, be found by the customers it is looking for, access the markets it needs to grow, and run on systems that let you lead it rather than just do everything yourself.
Before you apply
Ask yourself honestly
- 1. Has my business been operating consistently for at least 12 months?
- 2. Do I have a revenue stream that works and customers who keep coming back?
- 3. Am I ready to pursue investment, new markets, or both in the next 12 months?
- 4. Am I willing to share my financial information with programme coaches and mentors?
- 4. Can I commit to the programme schedule over 4 months?
If the answer to all five is yes, you are ready.
