Citi APAC pilots program to help young social entreps scale up their operations

They studied ways to expand to new markets, and refined marketing and growth strategies, amongst others.

Citi APAC has piloted a Corporate Social Responsibility Program for its Global Consumer Banking (GCB) analysts and associates, according to a press release.

From March to May, GCB analysts and associates worked with young social entrepreneurs who are part of Youth:Co Lab, a program co-created by the Citi Foundation and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2017. The program aims to tackle youth unemployment in the region by supporting young social entrepreneurs as they accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through their businesses.

A total of 74 GCB analysts and associates worked in cross-border teams to mentor 15 social enterprises.

These Citi colleagues partnered with social entrepreneurs as they seek investments to further grow and strengthen their operations. Activities included addressing various areas of focus including expansion into new markets, refinement of marketing and growth strategies, development of pricing policies, as well as performance measurement, the press release said.

The Corporate Social Responsibility Program was piloted with GCB analysts and associates during their second job rotation as part of their respective two-year programs. Towards the end of the pilot, Citi colleagues together with their community partners created final deliverables, which included a three-minute pitch presentation for each social enterprise.  

One organization Citi worked with is Amongst For Advisory Singapore, a youth-led non-profit dedicated to empowering young Singaporeans from all walks of life to make informed career and further education choices. During the program, Citi colleagues reportedly helped Amongst For Advisory Singapore identify key financial metrics to be shared when pitching for investment funding and also considered growth strategies for markets outside of Singapore.

Citi also worked with the Cambodian-based JUNLEN which promotes the recycling of organic waste via vermicomposting. JUNLEN will be launching a website as part of its new digital sales strategy, developed in partnership with Citi colleagues. The social enterprise is also currently working with smaller farmers in Cambodia to create a network of earthworm farms across the country.