The Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC) empowers the next generation of social entrepreneurs by providing them with mentoring, exposure, and over $50,000 in prizes to transform their ideas into ventures that address the world’s most pressing challenges. Teams from across the globe learn how to design scalable models through a process that emphasizes stakeholder discovery, business innovation, and social impact assessment.
Bring your questions about the competition and come out for a fun networking and informational event!
Please join us for our upcoming Atlanta mixer for social entrepreneurs on October 28th at 6pm!
You may have heard of GSVC, which is a social entrepreneurship competition hosted by U.C. Berkeley, along with Georgia Tech as the Eastern US partner. There is no entry fee and no travel or in-person presentations are required until the finals, where our sponsors fund your travel to Thailand in April to present your business for over $50,000 in prizes.
Additional details for the competition are below and the major requirement is that one current/recent graduate student, of any focus, participate on the team (and we can pair up teams as needed). Click here for more details on GSVC!
Competition Information:
- The competition is in collaboration with U.C. Berkeley, with Georgia Tech as their Eastern Region US partner
- No travel or in-person presentations are required until the finals, where our sponsors fund your travel to Thailand to present your business for over $50,000 in prizes
- More information can be found at Georgia Tech’s GSVC page
- GSVC website
Team Entry Requirements:
- Teams must include at least one current or recent graduate student (any program within last 2 years)
- No entry fee
- No limit to the number of applicants from a particular program or university
- Full Eligibility Requirements here
Competition Benefits:
- Global Reach – In 2012, the GSVC received over 600 entries from prestigious schools in 50 countries
- Collaboration – Teams are encouraged to collaborate with professionals, seasoned entrepreneurs, and students from other schools
- Networking – The competition introduces early-stage social venture entrepreneurs to the investment community. Nearly 25% of past GSVC entrants are now operating companies
- Prizes – Since its inception, the GSVC has awarded more than a quarter of a million dollars to emerging social ventures
Competition Structure and Deadlines:
- Executive Summary, Concept Deck and Interviews submitted online (12/4/15, hosted by Georgia Tech)
- Semi-Finals materials submitted online (2/17/16, hosted by Georgia Tech)
- Global Finals presentations (4/1/16 – 4/2/16, hosted by Thammasat Business School in Bangkok, Thailand)
