Global Social Innovation Challenge

Our world needs changemakers who create new models and work within new paradigms of sustainable change. Innovate with us to make this world a better place and participate in the Global Social Innovation Challenge (GSIC).

"Participating in the Global Social Innovation Challenge (GSIC) helped me take an idea and turn it into a fully developed business. The support, ideas and mentorship of the GSIC really helped us turn our idea into something tangible."
—2017 student participant

See 2018 Global Social Innovation Challenge Winners

About the Global Social Innovation Challenge

The GSIC is a social venture pitch competition that recognizes, resources and rewards student-led social ventures focused on sustainable change.

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.

9th

year since it started in 2011

35+

universities have participated

900+

teams have pitched their venture proposals

$377,000

distributed to global ventures

17+ countries

have proposed innovations

It's really about the global community.

Students share about the value of working in a team and networking with a community of changemakers.

Evans Kwarkye Evans Kwarkye, a winner of the 2019 Global Social Innovation Challenge is a co-founder of an student innovation from Heritage Christian College, Ghana. He shares of the value of the mentoring and feedback, the networking and of course, the seed funding for his venture!

Aimee Carton Aimee Carton, a winner of the 2019 Global Social Innovation Challenge is a co-founder of an student innovation from Trinity College-Dublin, Ireland. She shares the value of studying a problem deeply and communicate it on stage. She also comments on the world-wide connections that come from being part of a global competition spanning 12 countries.

Caesar Espinoza Cesar Espinoza, a winner of the 2019 Global Social Innovation Challenge is a co-founder of an student innovation from Tecnologico de Monterrey-Campus Guadalajara, Mexico. He shares his commitment to his community and to inspiring a new generation of changemakers through