Deadline: December 4, 2017

Apply now for the Global Social Venture Competition 2018. 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 their global network of 14 partner schools and competitions, they 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.

Prizes

• First Place: $40,000
• Second Place: $25,000
• Third Place: $10,000
• Priya Haji Memorial Award: $2,500
• People’s Choice Award: $1,500
• Quick Award: $1,000

Eligibility

• Open to early-stage social venture teams that show the highest, most integrated financial and social returns – businesses that demonstrate blended value. See the specific requirements here;
• A team cannot enter the competition more than twice;
• Teams that have competed at the Global Finals may not enter more than once; Regional Partners may put additional limits on the number of times that a team may compete at the regional level;
• All submissions and presentations for the Global Finals round must be in English. Questions from the judges during the Global Finals may be translated from English to the team’s native language, but should be answered in English.

Judging Criteria

Judges evaluate GSVC entrants in three equally weighted areas to determine a venture’s overall score:

• Business Potential
• Socila Impact Potential
• Likelihood of Success

Application

• Begin your application here. Please select your team’s primary country on the map and a text box will appear directing you where to apply.
• Submit the following deliverables to enter the competition:
  • Executive summary (3 pages)
  • Summary of 10+ stakeholder interviews
  • Team resumes/bios
• Teams may only apply through one regional competition. Teams should select their country based on where the majority of team members reside and are working on the business (for example, if you are a current student at UC Berkeley, but working on a business idea in India, please select the United States as your country and apply through the Americas Round).
• Each regional competition will conduct the judging and evaluation process for the first two rounds. The top two teams will be selected from each regional round to compete at the Global Finals.
• Applications must be submitted in English, unless otherwise noted.

Application Timeline

The competition occurs over three rounds. During each round of the competition, entrant teams present the social, financial, and environmental values of their business, gaining valuable feedback from and exposure to some of the greatest minds in social innovation.

• Round One requirements: December 4, 2017
• Regional Requirements: February/March 2018
• Global Finals Requirements: April 11-13, 2018

For more information, visit Global Social Venture Competition.