100x Impact Accelerator, a world-leading social impact accelerator dedicated to cultivating a new generation of “social unicorns,” has announced the opening of applications for its third cohort. Based at the London School of Economics (LSE),100x aims to nurture high-potential social ventures working to achieve positive impact on the scale of billions.

Fan Gu, the Head of Impact Investments at 100x, said: “As we launch applications for our third cohort, our commitment to fostering social unicorns remains unwavering. We’re looking for audacious ventures, non-profits and for-profits, that share our passion for creating lasting positive change around the world.”

Selected social ventures will receive £150,000 in capital and 12 weeks of programming on strategies for achieving scale, impact measurement, and fundraising. The programme includes one week of in-person sessions at LSE, 10 weeks of virtual workshops and expert advisory, and an annual Summit Day, where founders showcase their solutions, successes and challenges to a powerful community of funders, experts, policymakers and media.

“The 100x Impact Accelerator is not just a programme; it’s a community of changemakers. We invite ventures that have taken a bold and visionary step to tackle today’s toughest problems to be part of this global community,” said Nell Lemaistre, Head of Programme at 100x.

100x Impact Accelerator will support two cohorts of up to 10 social ventures every year, aiming for 70% of these to come from emerging markets. Eight extraordinary ventures, delivering impact in health, education, wellbeing, and financial inclusion are already part of the programme’s first cohort. Selection for the second cohort is ongoing, with successful ventures expected to be announced before the end of the year.

“We’ve learned a lot from Cohort 1 and 2, and we’ve made our application process more precise and our selection criteria more transparent. We want to keep the process as straightforward as possible,” Fan added.

Places will be offered to ventures across eight impact areas which closely reflect LSE’s research priorities. These are: climate change and the environment; democracy; education; equitable economies; happiness and wellbeing; health and social care; new frontiers; refugees and cohesion. Social ventures working with underserved communities in emerging markets are encouraged to apply.

The closing date for applications is Monday 29 January 2024, 6:00pm GMT (Greenwich Mean Time).

After a thorough selection process, a cohort of up to 10 social ventures will be selected in July 2024. The accelerator programme for the third cohort will run from September to November 2024.