By Anthony Muljadi, HBS MBA Class of 2012
Prior to business school, I had always...
About Pitch for Change
2010 Pitch for Change Competition
Entry Requirements | Eligibility | The Process | Judging Criteria | Awards
Pitch for Change is an "elevator pitch" competition that is open to individuals and teams with an idea for a new social enterprise venture. Unlike traditional business plan competitions, participants do NOT need to submit a completed business plan; entrants need only submit a short proposal for initial consideration and be prepared to pitch their ideas to a large audience and panel of judges during the 2010 Harvard Social Enterprise Conference if selected as a semi-finalist!
The initial requirement is a written proposal of no more than 500 words and one exhibit. Entries must be submitted via online application by Saturday, January 30, 2010, 11:59pm EST.
Although Pitch for Change is not a business plan contest, entrants are encouraged to put concrete thought into submissions.
Entries will consist of two parts:
- 50 word summary of the idea which clearly identifies the social problem being addressed and succinctly describes the business model. Applicants who make it to the semi-final round will have the option of having their paragraph posted on www.pitchforchange.org to compete for a guaranteed spot in the Pitch for Change final round.
- 500 word description (plus one exhibit) to provide detail on the idea by addressing the following components of the plan:
- Product or Service Description: Describe the product or service your organization will provide, why it is unique, and what social problem it will address. What issue are you trying to solve and what are the levers of change?
- Market Size: Provide a rough calculation of the market size for this product and describe the target audience.
- Time to Market: Estimate the time frame to fully scale operations.
- Management Team: Describe the types of people you would recruit for your "dream management team".
- Marketing Efforts: Describe how you will market your product or service.
- Financial Plan: Provide an estimate of initial cost and revenue projections.
Entrants must also submit the names of team members, graduate schools attended, and expected graduation date.
Entrants. The contest is open to both individuals and teams, and at least one member from each team must be a current graduate student.
Ideas. To be eligible for Pitch for Change, each submission must meet the following criteria:
- It must seek to create social value and impact in a significant and sustainable manner. The idea may involve a nonprofit, for-profit, or hybrid model venture, as long as social impact is central to its mission and operations.
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It must seek to advance an idea and organization at a very early phase. The contest is designed for projects that are in their infancy. Below are broad eligibility guidelines. Organizations that do not meet these criteria will be considered by the Pitch for Change leadership on a case-by-case basis.
- Operations commenced no earlier than February 1, 2009.
- Project is a stand-alone effort and operates independently of existing organizations (including, but not limited to, resources, governance, management, staff, and infrastructure).
The competition will take place in three rounds:
Round I: Write for Good. The first round of the competition will be based solely on written proposals, which must be submitted via online application by Saturday, January 30, 2010. Judging will be completed by HBS/HKS faculty with expertise in social enterprise and a committee of HBS and HKS students with social enterprise experience. A maximum of 20 semi-finalist individuals/teams will be selected and notified by Wednesday, February 10, 2010. They will also have the opportunity to participate in a "pitch" workshop and receive feedback on their planned pitch prior to the competition.
Round II: Sixty Seconds to Social Impact. The second round of the competition will take place during the Social Enterprise Conference (Sunday, February 28, 2010). The selected semi-finalists will have 60 seconds to present their ideas to the judges in a private setting. Semi-finalists will also have 1 minute for questions from judges. The judges will be a mix of representatives from prominent social enterprise organizations and professors with expertise in social enterprise, and will select a maximum of seven finalist individuals/teams immediately following these presentations.
Round III: Pitch for Change! The third and final round of the competition will also take place during the Social Enterprise Conference. Finalists will have two minutes to pitch their ideas to the judges and an audience of 500 to 700 conference attendees. The panel of judges will ask the finalists questions following their presentations, and then the judges will select First Place, Second Place, and Third Place winners in front of the live audience.
Note: Finalists will have the opportunity to use PowerPoint slides during both rounds, but the slides must be submitted to Pitch for Change no later than Wednesday, February 24, 2010.
Throughout all rounds of the competition, judges will assess ideas according to these criteria:
- Innovation: The level of creativity of concept and model.
- Potential Impact: The potential scale and influence of the project on the identified social problem.
- Viability: The potential for the idea to become a sustainable organization.
- Financial Sustainability: Ideas should have a clear and sustainable strategy for long-term revenue generation.
- Presentation: The clarity, uniqueness and persuasiveness of written and/or verbal presentations.
Participants will compete for three top prizes awarded by a panel of judges from social entrepreneurship-related organizations. Prizes include cash and consulting hours from Root Cause consulting to further develop the ideas. The audience will also choose their favorite Pitch for Change finalist for an award of $500.
- First Place: $6000 + 3 consulting hours provided by Root Cause consulting
- Second Place: $4000 + 2 consulting hours
- Third Place: $2000 + 1 consulting hour
- Audience Choice: $500
Note: Winners are strongly encouraged and expected to use the award money and consulting hours in order to advance their winning ideas. Winners are also encouraged to develop their ideas further and enter the Social Enterprise Track of the Harvard Business School Business Plan Contest, if eligible.
MORE INFORMATION
Contact Pitch for Change with questions or comments at info@pitchforchange.org