Tenmou

1. Interested entrepreneurs should submit an application online before the next Selection Process starts. The earlier the better!
2. We will invite the shortlisted groups that have a strong team and an innovative idea to our office for pre-selection meeting. 
3. After the initial meeting, the shortlisted candidates will have a chance to present to our Advisory Committee, consisting of a few of our shareholders and advisors
4. Those chosen to proceed by the Advisory Committee will get a chance to present to the Selection Committee, consisting of a number of our Board of Directors for the final YES or NO answer.
5. We will then make you an offer. Our offer will include the amount we'll invest and the percent of the company we'd want for it. We usually invest on average around BD20,000, in return for between 20% of the company. We would in some cases also be able to secure co-investment from our partners.
6. We will immediately start helping the teams set up their companies, especially getting the CR.
7. As soon as the new companies exist, entrepreneurs will have access to the money we've invested in them.
8. We will help with the cash management along the way, by drawing up a plan for each project.
9. During the initial 3 months, twice a week we'll invite an expert in a certain aspect of startups to advise and speak with all the entrepreneurs. This would be followed by an informal session.
10. After completing the 3 months intensive mentorship, entrepreneurs will get a chance to present their companies on our "Investor Day" to get some later stage investors to take them to the next level if they need it
11. We continue to give our entrepreneurs advice and make introductions as long as they need and as the informal network of Tenmou's shareholders and partners continues to grow.How do we choose who to fund? The people in your group are what matter most to us. We look for honesty, determination, brains, motivation, and a sense of design, and a will to succeed against all odds. Experience is helpful but not critical.

Your idea is important too, but mainly as evidence that you can have good ideas. The idea should be innovative, something new for the region and scalable to expand outside of Bahrain. Most successful startups change their idea substantially, so we can help you develop your concept.

The ideal company would have two or three founders. We'll consider those with four or five. We're not looking for one-person companies. A start-up is too difficult to do completely on your own.

You don't need to have a formal business plan. All you have to do is fill out our application. BD20,000 turns out to be enough for many companies to start on their way to positive cashflows. It will usually cover significant working capital, and that is enough to build something real. It's better for you to take little money in the earliest stages, because you give up less control for it. It's also in your interest to keep your cost base as low as possible in the early stages, to get to breakeven quicker.

The Business Angels behind Tenmou really believe in your potential success and want to help, but this is not a charity. If our investments pay off, we can invest in more startups, and if they don't, we can't keep doing this forever. So we're looking for startups we think will succeed.