The Department of Employment & Entrepreneurship (DoEE), Ministry of Industry, Commerce, & Employment (MoICE) and the Loden Foundation is excited to announce the Spring Call for Business Proposals 2026, offering a blended financing package. This initiative is supported by DoEE through the Government of India (GoI) via Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) and the Loden Foundation, Society Switzerland Bhutan, and a dedicated Women’s Enterprise Window supported by the Bronwen and Brian Mills Educational Trust.
We invite aspiring and established Bhutanese entrepreneurs to submit innovative, viable, and scalable proposals. This programme aims to support ventures aligned with national priorities, including employment creation, import substitution, and enhancing economic resilience.
Special Category: Loden Women’s Enterprise Window
In collaboration with the Bronwen and Brian Mills Educational Trust, we are privileged to introduce a dedicated funding window designed exclusively for women entrepreneurs. This initiative offers collateral-free start-up financing together with international mentoring opportunities, thereby fostering women’s economic leadership and advancing their role in shaping Bhutan’s entrepreneurial future.
Standard Loan Scheme and Repayment Procedure:
Selected applicants will receive a blended financing package of up to Nu. 1.5 Million, consisting of an interest-free, repayable loan along with a non-repayable derisking fund (risk-sharing component). This fund is designed to help early-stage businesses upscale or expand during their formative phase, without imposing the immediate financial burden of repayment. This derisking fund is made possible through the DoEE via ESP-GoI, as well as the Bronwen & Brian Mills Educational Trust for women-led ventures. This derisking component shall be distributed equally among all selected candidates and is not subject to repayment.
The repayable portion of the financing will be disbursed in two tranches within two months of the final results, provided all prerequisites are met. The Loden Foundation requires a signed loan agreement and a personal guarantor for all recipients. The second installment (tranche) will be released only after the DoEE and Loden monitoring team jointly verifies the proper utilization of the initial funds.
Mentoring Support:
Mentoring support will be provided to the selected entrepreneurs to help them advance their businesses and provide guidance in business-related areas. Once the business is up and running, the entrepreneurs must send a detailed bi-annual written report to the Loden office. Entrepreneurs are usually granted a grace period of three to six months before being required to repay the entire loan amount within four years.
What types of business ideas are eligible to apply?
The Calls for Business Proposal was instituted to support young Bhutanese endowed with vision, determination, and innovative ideas in establishing or expanding enterprises that are economically viable, socially responsible, culturally attuned, and environmentally sustainable.
The proposal will be evaluated based on the following priority criteria:
- Financial viability (able to repay the loan)
- Cultural, social and ecological sensitivity (e.g. not a slaughterhouse, fishery, logging, bar etc.)
- Clear and realistic
- Social impact such as employment generation, community benefit, etc.
- Geographic suitability or regional balance
- Non-duplication of LEP funded project or projects (should not be something which is already in the market and where there is no requirement for such projects)
- Entrepreneurial drive and motivation (good business is not sufficient; we need real entrepreneurs)
- Personal commitment (teamwork and personal investment are a plus)
- Skills (understanding competition and key business indicators)
Application Process:
There are TWO application processes; please choose any ONE of the following:
Process A: Applicants must submit the business proposal template developed by Loden Foundation, which is available HERE. If you are following process A, you do not have to submit the documents listed in process B because those documents need to be attached to the same template.
Process B: Applicants who are submitting their own business proposal must submit the following documents:
- Business proposal (not exceeding 15 pages) GUIDELINE
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Personal statement explaining why you are interested in the chosen business
- Duly filled ‘Business Plan Submission form available HERE
- Latest CIB report of the applicant. If you are married, you also need to submit your spouse’s CIB report from the Credit Information Bureau of Bhutan. For further details, you may visit: https://www.cib.bt/CIB/files/CIBSIRCONSFORM_LODEN.pdf
- CID or Permit Card copy
Note 1: We also encourage you to submit supporting documents (if applicable) such as lease approvals for land, proforma invoices of machinery & equipment and relevant recommendation letters proving proficiency or recognitions etc.
Note 2: If you are a returning applicant applying with the same idea, you must explicitly mention what is new in your business plan. You must also indicate if you have received or applied for funding for the same business from other funding sources.
Interested applicants must submit the complete set of documents in a single PDF file to Google Forms.
It it imperative to note that applications submitted after 5:00 PM, 2nd April 2026, will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the interview rounds. Should you have any queries, please reach out to Mr. Karma Losel Yangnyen, Assistant Programme Manager, via office telephone at 77195599 or by email at klosel@loden.org during official working hours.
Documents to Download:
1. GUIDELINE FOR A BUSINESS PLAN
3. BUSINESS PLAN SUBMISSION FORM
Click Frequently Asked Questions for additional information.
