My name is Francesco Piccinini, a third-year student in the Management for Sustainability program at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Piacenza. My journey with E4Impact began thanks to JECatt, my university’s Junior Enterprise offering consulting services to startups, SMEs, and larger firms, and the support of Giovanni Negri, a researcher at ALTIS-E4Impact, who introduced me to this unique opportunity.
After a previous internship in Hong Kong, I was eager to immerse myself in a completely different environment. The prospect of contributing to a rapidly growing entrepreneurial ecosystem with a strong focus on social impact drew me to Cameroon.
During my second semester, I joined the E4Impact Foundation as an intern in Douala, Cameroon. My role focused on two main activities: identifying potential partners offering training for entrepreneurs in Francophone Africa and supporting nearly 40 Cameroonian women entrepreneurs of the Wonder Project in creating their business pitch decks. These decks were later presented to banks and financial institutions in hopes of securing the capital needed to grow their businesses.
The WONDER Project, on which I worked directly, is a startup acceleration initiative providing training courses on business growth strategies and corporate finance, exclusively for Cameroonian women entrepreneurs. This was meanto to help them launch and scale up their businesses and access financing they where not able to previously access. The programme is promoted by the African Development Bank Group under the AFAWA initiative.
I assisted women entrepreneurs from various regions in Cameroon, particularly Douala and Yaoundé, operating mainly in the agri-food sector, such as producing and selling juices, biscuits, or chips, and in the beauty industry. Together, we crafted pitch decks presenting their businesses and business models from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives.
The dedication and passion of these women deeply inspired me. Their enthusiasm was matched by the tireless commitment of the E4Impact team. In the final weeks leading up to the pitch presentations, we often worked late into the evening to ensure each entrepreneur felt prepared.
What struck me most was the mutual trust that developed over time. Feeling their appreciation and realizing the tangible impact of my support, even on a small scale, was incredibly rewarding.
I am sincerely grateful to the E4Impact Foundation and to Flavien Tchamdjeu, my local mentor and E4Impact Head of Francophone Africa, for guiding me through this transformative experience. It reaffirmed my belief in the power of inclusive, sustainable development and the importance of equipping local communities with the tools they need to thrive.
This internship has been one of the most enriching experiences of my academic journey, offering invaluable insights into the challenges and opportunities within the Cameroonian entrepreneurial landscape. I look forward to applying these lessons in my future endeavors.
Francesco Piccinini