Grow Movement

Grow Movement is a nonprofit organization that connects volunteer business coaches with entrepreneurs globally via remote communication channels like WhatsApp, video calls, and email to foster business growth and amplify social impact. The organization specifically targets entrepreneurs tackling major global challenges, such as poverty and social issues, by transferring essential business skills remotely to increase profitability and create jobs. Operating across Asia, Africa, and the United States, Grow Movement works with hundreds of entrepreneurs annually, whose ventures collectively support thousands of employees and families. An initial academic study involving approximately 1,000 Ugandan entrepreneurs demonstrated an average sales increase of 27% for participants, highlighting the program's effectiveness. Notable examples include coaching for Haraka Meds in Rwanda, which received guidance from Chicago Booth Executive MBA students, and support for businesses in mobile payments and nutrition. Grow Movement was founded in 2009 by Chris Coghlan and Violet Kobusingye.

Grow Movement is an international nonprofit that fights poverty by coaching entrepreneurs in underserved communities, delivering one-on-one business mentorship over phone and messaging so founders can scale income-generating ventures and create local jobs[1][7]. The organisation pairs volunteer coaches (from a global network) with early-stage social entrepreneurs across Africa, Asia and the U.S., focusing on practical business skills, revenue growth and systems that increase impact rather than providing grants or direct capital[1][3].

High‑Level Overview

• Mission: Support entrepreneurs anywhere who are building more just, resilient communities—helping them to reduce poverty, confront climate challenges and recover from conflict by strengthening their businesses through coaching[1][7].
  - Investment philosophy (operating model for an impact organisation): Grow Movement “invests” time and expertise rather than cash, using remote coaching to multiply scarce specialist capacity and accelerate entrepreneur learning and execution[1][7].
  - Key sectors: Works with a broad range of social enterprises and small businesses—agriculture and nutrition, mobile payments/fintech-enabled ventures, social services and community-focused enterprises—depending on local need[3][1].
  - Impact on the startup ecosystem: By building coach–entrepreneur relationships and corporate volunteering partnerships, Grow Movement strengthens early-stage management capacity, helps ventures reach customers and scale employment, and channels skilled volunteering from law firms and corporates into measurable business outcomes[1][3].

Origin Story

Grow Movement was founded in 2009 by Violet Busingye and Chris Coghlan; Violet grew up in extreme poverty in Uganda and Chris brought experience in finance and international development, and together they created a mobile coaching model to reach entrepreneurs in fragile contexts[2][1]. The organisation grew from those roots into a global programme delivering coaching by WhatsApp, video call and email, and has partnered with universities and professional services firms to expand reach and provide structured volunteer cohorts[2][3]. (A UK-registered entity, GROW MOVEMENT LTD, is listed at Companies House with incorporation details for its UK corporate vehicle[4].)

Core Differentiators

• Remote, scalable coaching model: Focus on mobile-first, one-to-one mentoring (WhatsApp, phone, video) enables support across geographies where in-person services are scarce[7][1].
  - Volunteer network and corporate partnerships: Draws on professionals from 60+ countries and partners with organisations (e.g., law firms, universities) to supply skilled coaches and structured programmes[1][3].
  - Practitioner-led leadership: Founders and senior team combine lived experience in poverty, entrepreneurship and formal training in business and public policy, lending credibility to context-sensitive coaching[2].
  - Evidence and outcomes focus: Emphasises practical business changes (marketing, operations, revenue) and documents case studies and impact stories for funders and corporate partners[1][3].

Role in the Broader Tech / Impact Landscape

• Trend alignment: Rides the growing movement toward remote capacity-building and skills-based volunteering as scalable, lower‑cost alternatives to capital grants in international development[1][7].
  - Timing matters because mobile penetration and messaging apps make remote coaching practical and effective even in low‑bandwidth settings, widening access to business support for rural and marginalized entrepreneurs[7][1].
  - Market forces: Donor fatigue for grant-based models and increasing corporate interest in measurable pro-bono impact create demand for Grow Movement’s volunteer-driven delivery model[1][3].
  - Influence: By standardising coach training and linking corporates and universities to grassroots entrepreneurs, Grow Movement helps professionalise the “skills-first” volunteering channel and raises business capability among social enterprises that often lack access to advisors[1][3].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

• What’s next: Expect continued scaling via partnerships with corporate volunteering programmes and universities, deeper monitoring of business outcomes, and possible expansion into regionally tailored cohorts or sector-specific tracks (e.g., agri-tech, nutrition) where they already have traction[1][3].
  - Shaping trends: Advances in low-cost digital communications, impact measurement expectations from funders, and corporate ESG commitments will shape Grow Movement’s growth and ability to demonstrate ROI from coaching[7][1].
  - Influence evolution: If they continue to standardise remote coaching and publish impact evidence, Grow Movement could become a go-to intermediary that channels skilled volunteers into measurable small-business growth across fragile and low-income markets, complementing capital-focused impact investors and local accelerators[1][3].

Quick reminder: this profile synthesises Grow Movement’s public materials and organizational listings to describe mission, model and trajectory[1][2][4].