Frequently Asked Questions for Entrepreneurs

FAQs

Can I submit my proposal via email?

No. All submissions must be made through PFAN’s Climate Invest system. You can find guidance on how to submit your application here. For further questions please contact support@pfan.net.

I registered through the registration page, but I still cannot access PFAN’s Climate Invest system. What should I do?

Please go to climate-invest.fluxx.io and click on “Reset or create password”. You will receive an email with a link which allows you to create a new password and access your project application. For further questions, please contact registration@climate-invest.info.

I created an account and a new application in the Climate Invest system, but the application form cannot be submitted. What is wrong?

Your application can only be submitted once the PFAN team has processed your registration. This can take up to two working days. An information box at the top of the application form will tell you the status of your registration.

Please also check that all mandatory fields are populated and that the required documents (Project Proposal, Financial Model, Executive Summary) have been uploaded to the application form. For further questions, please contact support@pfan.net

Can PFAN fund my project directly?

No, it is important to note that PFAN does not provide funding, but offers coaching to entrepreneurs to support them in finding investors for their projects. PFAN does not directly fund projects.

How will the coaching support be arranged and funded?

Every project accepted into the PFAN pipeline will follow a three-stage process which aims to get you ready to meet investors, and once ready, enables targeted investor introductions. You will benefit from one-on-one support from a PFAN Advisor assigned to your project/business.

The PFAN journey is time-bound, but with the flexibility to adjust the speed to the needs of mature projects/businesses, so that you benefit from Investment Facilitation as soon as you are ready. At the end of every stage, if your project/business is not ready to progress to the next, you will be provided with guidance on the steps for you and your team to pursue. An update will be scheduled so that you may progress into the next stage when you are ready.

You can find further information on the PFAN journey here.

What happens when a stage ends? Am I guaranteed to continue to the next?

At the end of every stage your project/business will be assessed by your PFAN Advisor, who will either recommend that you progress to the next stage or provide you with a list of items that you and your team should focus on before your case is re-assessed via a scheduled update. Once recommended to the next stage, upon internal approval and availability of programme resources, PFAN will issue a contractual assignment for the PFAN Advisor to support you further. At the end of every stage there will be clear outcomes for you, such as an Action Plan to get ready to meet investors or milestones to be reached before progressing (stage 1), the documents you need to approach investors (stage 2), and strong preparation to pitch your investment opportunity and target investor introductions (stage 3).

What happens if I have not progressed to the next stage, but have achieved the milestones recommended by my PFAN Advisor ahead of the planned “re-assessment”?

You may reach out to the following contact points for your region, so that your re-assessment may be anticipated as possible.

For any project-related matters regarding the Sub-Saharan Africa regions, please contact Teresa Oberascher at teresa.oberascher@reeep.org

For any project-related matters regarding the South and Southeast Asia region, please contact Colin Brouillard at colin.brouillard@reeep.org

For any project-related matters regarding the Caribbean and Central America as well as Eastern Europe and Central Asia regions or system-related matters, please contact Lukas Baumhauer at lukas.baumhauer@reeep.org

How does my PFAN Advisor get remunerated?

Your PFAN Advisor is remunerated by PFAN via a contractual assignment called a “Call-Off”, and his/her remuneration is based on an agreed set of deliverables to be submitted in each stage (some by you (e.g. PDD1 and PDD2) and some by your PFAN Advisor (e.g. PDR1+PDR2+PDR3).

Is my project/business assured to be introduced to investors during the Investment Facilitation stage?

In order to progress from the Project Development stage into the Investment Facilitation stage, a list of potential target investors would already be in place and taken into account when the recommendation is made. PFAN will determine the project/businesses’ readiness for presenting it to the potential investors (at the end of Stage 2). It is necessary that the entrepreneur has answers to all the questions that an investor is likely to ask, as it is in the interest of the entreprenuer to be thoroughly ready to face the investor.

What happens during the Investment Facilitation process?

At the end of stage 2 – Project Development, PFAN will filter projects that are qualified as investor ready, so that during the Investment Facilitation stage your project/business can go through the following refinements: appropriateness of investment ask, valuation, risks and mitigations, matching with investor’s criteria, target investor introductions, re-assessment of readiness for investment, and as required.

Are there any guidelines I should follow in preparing my Project Proposal?

Yes, please follow this link.

Can I get reimbursed for expenses for participating in PFAN events?

If you are invited to attend a PFAN event, travel and accommodation support for one team member will be arranged by PFAN. Travel support can only be provided to a project team member (starting her/his journey) from within the respective region.

Other team members are welcome to join PFAN events at their own expense.

What are the benefits of submitting an application to PFAN?

Projects/businesses selected for PFAN assistance receive free business coaching. This coaching has been shown to greatly speed up the process of reaching investment-ready status and consequently shorten the path to finding investment. The PFAN journey follows a specific, time-bound three-stage process which aims to get you ready to meet investors, and once ready, enables targeted investor introductions.