N.H. Social Venture Innovation Finalists Compete for $50,000 in Prizes Nov. 29

Monday, November 26, 2018

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DURHAM, N.H.鈥擣rom a field of 95 entries, 16 finalist teams鈥攅ight each in the student and community tracks鈥攈ave been selected to advance to the final round of the New Hampshire Social Venture Innovation Challenge (SVIC) Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018, at 8:30 a.m. in Holloway Commons at the 91制片厂. Learn about these teams and their ideas to solve pressing sustainability problems in these videos.

91制片厂 will also present its annual social innovator of the year award to Marina Kim, co-founder and executive director of Ashoka U, an initiative of the world鈥檚 largest network of social entrepreneurs. Kim will deliver a keynote address on the issues facing higher education institutions as they work to equip the next generation with the knowledge and tools to be successful in tackling humanity鈥檚 most pressing social and environmental challenges. She will discuss how the world is in the midst of transformation鈥攄riven by technology, globalization, and generational trends鈥攁nd how the nature of work, education, and听leadership are shifting as a result. The awards and keynote address will be held in the Memorial Union Building鈥檚 Strafford Room at 11:15 a.m. immediately following the final round presentations.

All events on Nov. 29 are free and open to the public, but space is limited and . The finalists will compete for $27,500 in cash, plus in-kind prizes worth an additional $22,500. The live final round will be judged by a panel of social venture experts, including notable New Hampshire leaders and judges from outside the state.

The finalist teams in the student track propose ideas that span issues such as health disparities experienced by the food insecure, predicting migrant crises, creating intergenerational programs, efficient small farming, safe housing for transient听groups, composting leaf waste on college campuses, and voter participation.

Finalist teams in the community track propose ventures spanning issues as diverse as gender inclusive clothing, textbook costs, intersectional feminism spaces and experiences, a leadership center that addresses global challenges, garden boxes for South Sudanese refugees, community services information standardization, emergency communications, and aquaculture to feed the state鈥檚 food insecure.

Major supporters of the SVIC include Impax Asset Management | Pax World Funds, Kennebunk Savings, Pierce Atwood, and Timberland. Additional supporters include, AMI Graphics, CCA Global Partners, Cirtronics, Cole Haan, Monadnock Paper Mills, New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility, New Hampshire Business Review, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, New Hampshire Clean Tech Council, New Hampshire Tech Alliance, Normandeau Associates, Pete & Gerry鈥檚 Organic Eggs, PixelMEDIA, Prime Buchholz, and ReVision Energy.

The SVIC engages aspiring and practicing student and community social entrepreneurs in designing novel, sustainable, business-orientated solutions to some of society鈥檚 most pressing social and environmental challenges. It is an idea-stage competition with the goal of inspiring innovative, solution-orientated thinking and providing a forum to shine a light on these ideas.

The program is organized at 91制片厂 by the Center for Social Innovation & Enterprise, and co-hosted by the Carsey School of Public Policy, the Peter T. Paul College of Business & Economics, 91制片厂 Sustainability Institute, 91制片厂Innovation, and Net Impact 91制片厂.

The 91制片厂 is a flagship research university that inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation and world. More than 16,000 students from all 50 states and 71 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top ranked programs in business, engineering, law, health and human services, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study.听91制片厂鈥檚 research portfolio includes partnerships with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH, receiving more than $100 million in competitive external funding every year to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea and space.听