IMBE Enterprise Incubator

Banking & FinanceEducationSustainable DevelopmentNot-for-Profit

Jul 31

Bringing seed funding to fruit for early childhood development centres

The KYB Enterprise Incubator was founded in 2015 by Yellowwoods and the Kago Ya Bana (KYB) programme in the Hollard Foundation Trust to raise and disperse start-up capital for new early childhood development (ECD) enterprises. In 2021, with a new product ready for launch, it was time for the brand identity to evolve in a way that aligned with its higher purpose.

The brief

The Incubator came to Breinstorm Brand Architects for assistance in strategising the launch of a new financial product: the Growth Accelerator. Targeted at ECD owners, this innovative product aimed to help them grow their micro-enterprises through financial support, business workshops, coaching and custom-developed digital tools, and property development. We developed a robust communications strategy to help take ECD owners through each step of the project in simple and engaging ways.

To help the brand feel more personable, we developed a new name and identity which could appeal to both ECD owners as well as future funders.

The transformation

An identity informed by indigenous knowledge

The brand was renamed IMBE Enterprise Incubator. One of the “lost crops of Africa”, Imbe is an ancient fruit tree that has the potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable development.

A brand mark inspired by the elements of a tree

Taking visual cues from the Imbe tree, BBA designed a logo that will serve the brand’s current goals and future ambitions. The tree’s orange fruit is central, cradled by four green leaves.

A graphic language inspired by the sector

For all collateral, we developed a graphic language that puts ECD entrepreneurs and the children they support at the centre by illustrating typical ECD owners/teachers and the types of toys that are found in an early-learning environment.