The Global Social Venture Competition leads entrant teams through an experiential learning process to develop innovative, scalable solutions to the world’s greatest challenges. Through our global network of 14 partner schools and competitions, we give teams the connections, support, and exposure needed to advance their social ventures.
Each of the competition’s three rounds also asks teams to build on past learnings and focus on distinct emphasis areas. A team’s ability to demonstrate progress in these areas will be an important determinant of its venture’s overall score, which in every round is evaluated on business potential, social impact potential, and the likelihood of success.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Submitted ventures should aim to be: financially sustainable or profitable; whether it is a for-profit, non-profit, or hybrid business model, your venture must aim to be self-sufficient on earned revenue.
- Submitted ventures should be scalable long term. This criterion will mean different things for each business. Scalability will take into account the potential for growth of the business, both financially and in its social impact.
- Submitted ventures must have a quantifiable social and/or environmental bottom line incorporated into their mission and practices.
- Your entry must include a financial analysis as well as a Social Impact Assessment (SIA), including the Social Value Proposition and Social Indicators. Learn more on the SIA page of the website.
- Submitted ventures must be less than 2 years old (with the start of the venture marked by incorporation or first income, whichever occurred first) as of December 31, 2017.
- Submitted ventures may not be a wholly owned subsidiary of an existing entity (of either a for-profit or nonprofit entity).
- Submitted ventures must not have received more than $250,000 in funding from venture capital, private investors, grants (government or foundation), loans, or other funding sources (excluding in-kind) as of December 31, 2017.
- Lifetime revenue should not exceed $500,000 as of December 31, 2017.
- GSVC has the right to investigate funding and qualifications of ventures to assure that they are truly early stage.
Prize
- First Place Award: $40,000
- Second Place Award: $25,000
- Third Place Award: $10,000
- Priya Haji Memorial Award: $2,500
- People’s Choice Award: $1,500
- Quick Pitch Award: $1,000
Timeline:
Round One Requirements: Application Deadline, December 4, 2017
By December 4, 2017, teams must submit the following deliverables to enter the competition:
- Executive summary (3 pages)
- Summary of 10+ stakeholder interviews
- Team resumes/bios
NOTE: Some regions may require teams to submit additional items. Please check with your GSVC representative for requirements. Click here to apply.
Round One Requirements: Application Deadline, December 4, 2017
By December 4, 2017, teams must submit the following deliverables to enter the competition:
- Executive summary (3 pages)
- Summary of 10+ stakeholder interviews
- Team resumes/bios
NOTE: Some regions may require teams to submit additional items. Please check with your GSVC representative for requirements. Click here to apply.
Executive Summary
- Social venture overview
- Value proposition (Problem and Solution)
- Social Impact (Please refer to the Social Impact Guidelines for guidance)
- Market
- Competitive advantage
- Revenue model
- Go-to-market strategy
- Stakeholders
- Team
- Track record and next steps
- Financial model and 5-year projections
Download the Executive Summary Template
Stakeholder Interviews
Understand the opportunity and test your concept by interviewing at least 10 existing or potential stakeholders, including customers, partners, and industry experts.
Download the Stakeholder Interviews Template
Team Resumes / Bios
For each member, list his/her current role and provide a brief bio that highlights relevant experience, skills, and expertise.
Download the Team Bio Template.
Formatting Requirements for Deliverables:
- Deliverables should be grouped together in Adobe PDF file format (preferred) or Microsoft Word compatible text documents with the following file name: TeamName_GSVC2018_RoundOne.
- The team name should appear on each page of each deliverable.
- Text pages should be single-sided and single-spaced with 11-point font minimum and 0.75 inch margins.
GSVC reserves the right to disqualify your application if submission and formatting guidelines are not followed.
Regional Round Requirements: February/March 2018
The Regional Round takes place at each Regional Partner competition*. The Regional Competitions are an opportunity for teams to provide deeper information on critical assumptions or characteristics of your business, as well as address any feedback received during Round One. Two finalist teams from each Regional Competition will be selected to compete at the Global Finals
Global Finals Requirements: April 11-13, 2018
Deliverable requirements for the Global Finals Round
By April 4, 2018, all Global Finalist teams must submit the following:
- Executive summary (5 pages)
- Summary of 50+ stakeholder interviews (cumulative, including the initial 30 interviews; 1-3 pages)
- Team bios (see template below)
- Pitch deck* (15 slides max.)
- Pitch video (<2 minutes)
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the Global Social Venture Competition 2018 for Entrepreneurs