1. Supporting Young Entrepreneurs in
Emerging and Developing Countries
Improving Business Skills for Self-
Employment using Mobile
Technology
Christelle Scharff
scharffc@gmail.com

2. Women and
Entrepreneurship
Art & craft
market
Source: Striving and International trade in arts
Surviving: and crafts totaling $23.2
Exploring the Lives of billion in 2005 and growing
Women at the Base of the since then [UNCTAD,
Pyramid, GSMA mWomen UNDP]
Report February 2012

3. Targeted Problem
 Population in emerging and developing countries is young
 Lots of unemployment
 Desire to be entrepreneurs
 Need of tools to start businesses, and build viable and
sustainable projects
 Support for micro-finance institutions to monitor the financial
health of the businesses they provide loans to (visibility and
accountability)
Mobile technology to help
young entrepreneurs to manage
the finance of their businesses

4. Solution: Accounting Apps
 Set of simple accounting apps that will help
businesses to be more financially aware and
productive
 Short training on the applications and
accounting for small businesses
Focus
Participatory design
Easy to use apps
Customized apps by job types
Monitoring mechanism integrated in the apps for financial
institutions, accountability and reward system
Adapted to the local environment (culture, language)

5. Mobile Applications
• Developed in Java ME to be deployed on the largest
number of mobile phones (Nokia)
• Apps are based on the same logic with different
contents based on the targeted jobs and customized
by regions (Africa, Asia, India…)
• Apps are written to be easily customizable and used
on different types of jobs
• Integration of a monitoring mechanism with an online
and/or SMS components to follow up the use of the
apps to permit financial institutions to follow up the
progress of the business (with approval of the
businesses) and to put in place a reward / incentive
system for young entrepreneurs
• Available for free in Nokia stores (with ads)

6. Example: CoiffeurCompta
Accounting for Hair Dressers and
Tailors

7. Example: TaxiCompta
Accounting for Taxi Drivers
Summary for Expenses are Sales are entered SMS to the
visibility: Expenses, entered by by categories (ride, partners for
sales, gains, categories (gas, rent etc) accountability
number of repairs etc)
customers, loans,
loss

8. Large scale deployment
 Developed on Nokia phones (Java ME) to reach lots of users
 Training on the apps for young entrepreneurs
 Establish a partnership with Ministries, micro-finance and banking
institutions, and NGOs to support the provisioning of the apps and
training for young entrepreneurs
 Apps are free for download in Nokia Store (with ads)
 Sell the apps with online and SMS extensions to micro-finance and
banking institutions (per apps per user fee)
 Micro-finance and banking institutions are aware of the financial
status of the businesses they provided loans to
 Incentive for entrepreneurs – Entrepreneurs who are using the
apps regularly (recording expenses and sales etc) are provided
with phone credit and are participating to the election of the
Young Entrepreneur of the month.