The Business Model Canvas

The Business Model Canvas (BMC) is the main tool we are using with our Kenya groups to help them map out their business and understand how they can create, deliver and capture value.

The BMC was created by Osterwalder & Pigneur and they propose that a business model can be described through nine basic building blocks that outline how a business intends to make money. The nine blocks cover the four main areas of a business: customers, offer, infrastructure & financial viability.

The BMC is encouraged as the most useful tool throughout our work with the Kenya entrepreneur groups because it is very simple to understand and use but also, highly effective by breaking down more complex aspects. Hope & Vision (a Kenyan business that Balloon Kenya works with to decide who should receive a loan after pitching) trust the BMC greatly and expect every individual pitching to make use of it.

For these reasons, all Balloon Kenya fellows have focussed heavily on the BMC and stressed the importance of group members mapping their business out in detail if they are to stand the best chance of receiving investment.