Hang in there, college kids, your much-deserved winter break is almost here, but your homework isn’t over yet. The wrath of your professors might momentarily cease, but the challenges that face our world never sleep. If you’re feeling out of energy, tap into your compassion, but either way, find a way to upload your profile and social-ill solving video pitch for the 2010 Sparkseed Social Innovation Competition before the first round deadline on February 7th, 2010. Three months later, you could be sitting on six months of mentoring, pro-bono professional services, and seed money to start your social enterprise – all before you graduate.
Sounds a little too ambitious? Not really. Microsoft, Facebook, FedEx, Dell, and Apple are just a few of the successful business ventures that were founded by fellow college students. With a little leg-up from Sparkseed, an organization dedicated to fostering creative, college-level social entrepreneurs, you could easily add your name to that list. Since its beginning, the Sparkseed Social Innovation Competition has benefited over 50 social entrepreneurs.
All you have to do is deliver what your social venture will address, why you’re passionate about the particular issue, and how your venture will solve that problem in a short, creative video pitch. Winners will be selected based on how many followers your video receives. If you make it through the final round – aside from getting your parents off your back about your grades – you’ll also receive:
- Mentoring from entrepreneurs and executives
- Pro-bono consulting from business and nonprofit professionals
- $1,000 in seed money towards start-up costs
- Webinars that teach skills such as creating a business plan, managing a team, pitching to investors, leveraging social media, and measuring financial and social impact.
- $10,000 in web tools, including web site design, web hosting, & SEO consulting.
- A four-day summit in Silicon Valley that includes networking, skill-building, and strategic planning.
That’s more valuable information for a few hours of your time than a whole year’s worth of overpriced university books. Do the math. Change the world.
Sparkseed
Sparkseed seeks to develop the next generation of social entrepreneurs and to increase their impact on society.
- Organization Type: Non-Profit
- Website: http://sparkseed.org/
- Founder(s): Michael Del Ponte
- Founded: 2007
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- See complete company list here
Contributor Profile: Ashley
Ashley is a friend of anyone who is fighting the good fight for social change. She currently resides in Bilbao, Spain where she is teaching English and researching the history of the Basque conflict. Personal blog
Twitter: @socialearth
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