Rui Carlos Alves

This chapter analyses the role of structured entrepreneurship support programmes in fostering inclusive business development and improving access to finance in emerging economies, drawing on the ENVOLVER programme in Angola. Based on a pilot intervention supporting around thirty projects across multiple sectors, the study compares two complementary support models: direct mentoring and incubator-mediated support. A structured methodology integrating business planning, financial analysis, and investment evaluation was applied and adapted to the local context. The findings highlight improvements in project structuring, strategic clarity, financial sustainability, and access to funding, reinforcing the business plan as a tool for capability development, formalisation, and legitimacy. At the ecosystem level, results underline both the relevance of incubators' role and existing capacity gaps, pointing to the need for continued institutional strengthening.

This study examines capacity-building initiatives within the Envolver project to improve access to finance for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in Angola. Emphasizing the role of financial literacy and human capital development, it analyzes training methodologies tailored to diverse stakeholder groups within the financing ecosystem. The study characterizes target audiences, trainer profiles, and pedagogical approaches, highlighting the use of hybrid delivery models and context-specific learning tools. Attention is given to establishing a common language among stakeholders, including entrepreneurs, financial institutions, incubators, and public entities. The findings underscore the need for differentiated training strategies, practical and context-based learning resources, and interactive methodologies to enhance knowledge transfer and application. Overall, the results show that well-designed capacity-building programs can strengthen competencies, improve coordination among stakeholders, and increase access to financing and private-sector development in emerging economies.

Business incubators play a crucial role in economic diversification and entrepreneurship development within emerging markets. This chapter analyses the development and institutionalization of the Angolan National Network of Incubators (RNI) through the lens of the ENVOLVER Project (2021–2025). Based on five years of research, benchmarking, and stakeholder engagement, the study explores the transition from a fragmented landscape of small businesses support structures to a regulated network. This chapter also details the framework designed for the RNI, including management, regulation and certification models, and addresses the critical challenge of financial sustainability of the Angolan business incubators ecosystem. By documenting the benchmark studies that provided an overview of business incubation in Angola, the public consultation process and the subsequent regulatory revisions, this work aims to provide a roadmap for policy-makers and practitioners aiming to foster financial sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems in similar developing economies.

SME financing presents challenges in any economy regardless of its level of development. credit guarantees have been used as a method of supporting SMEs in accessing finance by enabling risk sharing with financial institutions. The study compares two countries from different continents with different stages of economic and financial system development, which use the credit guarantee system to improve access to finance for their SMEs. It presents how the credit guarantee system was designed and implemented in each country and assesses its impact on loans granted by the banking system, the average value of guarantees issued and the existing level of default. The results obtained indicate that in the more developed economy, the impact of credit guarantees is greater on financing, the default rate tends to have a positive correlation as seen in the banking system, but there are innovations in one of the countries studied by using the credit guarantees to finance the most vulnerable populations through microcredit.

This study examines the challenges faced by micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in accessing financing in emerging economies. It highlights structural constraints on both the supply and demand sides. In the Angolan context, the research emphasizes the role of financial literacy and human resource qualifications in improving access to financing. A capacity-building framework is proposed to target key stakeholders across the financing ecosystem, including entrepreneurs, financial institutions, and public support entities. The study identifies significant gaps in skills, tools, and communication, which hinder effective project evaluation and financing processes. To address these issues, it suggests tailored training initiatives and the development of standardized tools to foster a common language and enhance coordination among stakeholders. The findings contribute to understanding mechanisms that can improve access to financing and support private sector development in emerging economies.

Business incubators in emerging markets face significant challenges regarding their financial sustainability in supporting early-stage business projects, such as developing incubation programs or providing specialized mentorship. This chapter examines the design and implementation of a voucher-based financial support program for the Angolan National Network of Incubators, developed within the ENVOLVER Project (2021–2025). Through an analysis of the program's lifecycle, from regulatory ideation and public consultation to a pilot phase involving 13 certified incubators, the study explores a performance-based financial support model designed to foster accountability and growth. The results provide a practical framework for policy-makers in developing economies to mobilize financial resources effectively, ensuring that support reaches the most promising entrepreneurial ventures while strengthening the institutional capacity of the incubation network.

Effective supply chain management is crucial to business sustainability and will only be possible based on environmental concerns and adopting agile and resilient practices to adapt to the unstable environment. The main objective of this study is to examine how companies choose supply chain structure based on collaborative relationships, to pursuit global strategies, now that competition stopped occurring between companies only and begins to be discussed between supply chains also. This qualitative research was supported on a case study applied to five companies in the automotive industry, using data collection instruments: documentary sources, interviews, and a questionnaire survey, complemented by site visits. From this case study the conceptual model was validated. It was concluded that supply chain management scopes are not a sum of a set of firms, with its own objectives and strategies, but the result of a single system of integrated, transversal and interdependent processes, based on a holistic approach. This paper proposes a conceptual model to select the best strategies and structure to manage supply chain based on LARG (Lean, Agile, Resilient and Green) approach.

The purpose of this chapter is to present a set of proposals for the creation and promotion of an infrastructure network to support entrepreneurship in Angola. In this sense, the authors developed an analysis and research work, framed with Activity 9 of the ENVOLVER project, a project within the scope of the Production Support, Export Diversification, and Import Substitution Program (PRODESI) of the Government of Angola, led by National Institute for Support to Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (INAPEM) and financially supported by the European Union, that aims to promote the development of a private sector, more sustainable and more inclusive, based on the diversification and provision of financial services adapted to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and entrepreneurs in Angola.

This chapter aims to describe a research work in a real context, focusing on small industries and why they must become more digital, in order to create new and innovative business models and remain competitive in a post-COVID-19 scenario. It also aims to present the challenges small industries will face as a result of the digital revolution ahead, why they should reinvent their business models to be more prepared in the future, and why they should use the pandemic scenario as a lever to make this change faster and more agile. A qualitative methodology is used based on document analysis of use-case information collected from KFactory, a technological consulting startup that works with small industries and helps them identify opportunities and benefits in adopting Industry 4.0. The authors hope that the KFactory case study can contribute to a better understanding of how industries can benefit from technology to improve their production methods, adapt to a post-pandemic scenario, and engage in the new digital revolution.

This chapter aims to present the trends and challenges healthcare organizations will face as a result of the digital revolution. In particular, the healthcare industry needs to look for a new strategic focus, acquiring new specialties, and establishing new ways of working, defined in new business models in which cloud computing technology will be increasingly present. Understanding what cloud computing is is the first step to better understand the challenges and trends ahead.