Deadline:
February 01, 2025
Location(s)
Online United States of America
2025 Global Finals - May 30-31 in Minneapolis
Overview
The Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge is a remarkable opportunity tailor-made for student social entrepreneurs who are shaping the future with their innovative ventures.
Compete for $75,000+ and a chance to network with Global players from around the World!
Details
The Fowler GSIC inspires student social entrepreneurs around the world to connect and create business solutions that address social and environmental challenges. Since 2011, we've connected more than 3,000 students from more than 25 countries around the world - including Australia, South Korea, Rwanda, The Philippines, Ghana, Mexico, and Peru - recognizing their outstanding social ventures based on positive impact and financial sustainability. To date, we've distributed more than $700,000 in funding and in kind-services, to seed the most innovative and promising global ventures.
And our goal is to increase that impact!
HOW IT WORKS
The Fowler GSIC is for the trailblazers, the dreamers, the doers. It was designed for those who can see a solution where others mostly see a challenge. Whether your passion lies in helping alleviate hunger or stopping environmental degradation, the Fowler GSIC invites you to engage with one or more of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals by developing an innovation that responds to an environmental or social challenge at the local or global level.
- CREATE A TEAM WITH 1-5 MEMBERS
- ANALYZE A SOCIAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGE
- PROPOSE AND VALIDATE A POTENTIAL SOLUTION
- PITCH YOUR IDEA FOR UP TO $75,000+ IN FUNDING
Participants:
- Develop a nuanced understanding of a social or environmental issue, and identify gaps in the approaches currently deployed to solve this issue.
- Create a viable business plan based on a new potential solution that can address these gaps.
- Pitch their venture to a panel of judges for up to $50,000 in funding and other resources.
- Gain invaluable entrepreneurial experience, mentoring and network connections to propel their changemaking journey to the next level.
How to Participate
- Create teams with 1-5 members
- Analyze a social or environmental challenge of your choice
- Propose and validate a potential solution
- Pitch your idea for up to $50,000 in seed funding
Opportunity is About
Eligibility
Candidates should be from:
Description of Ideal Candidate
Who is eligible to participate?
The Fowler GSIC is open to all degree and diploma-granting postsecondary education institutions such as universities/colleges located anywhere in the world that register for Fowler GSIC participation by November 30, 2019.
Any current student (as of December 2019) of a participating institution can participate in the Fowler GSIC individually or as part of a team (with a maximum of five members per team). At least one team member must be a current undergraduate / postgraduate/ doctoral student as of at any of the participating institutions. The rest of the team members can be from any walk of life (i.e. belong to the same institute OR another participating institute or another non-participating institute, or not be a student at all)!
In the case of proposals from an existing nonprofit or for-profit organization, at least one student team member must be a C-level officer or a director of the organization (e.g., Executive Director, CEO, COO, etc.) or a majority owner of the business.
Each participating institution may also have additional eligibility criteria, so please get in touch with the Fowler GSIC representative at your institute who can advise you further.
What are the team size requirements?
- Minimum team size is 1 (i.e. a student can participate as an individual).
- Maximum team size is 5.
- If a venture team has more than five members, the team will need to select a subset of up to five members that can represent the rest of the team in the GSIC, and obtain a written consent before the deadline for round 1 submission from those venture team members that are left out of the Fowler GSIC team.
Dates
Deadline: February 01, 2025
Cost/funding for participants
Un-save Opportunity
Internships, scholarships, student conferences and competitions.
