Support the first national social entrepreneurship competition being held at the University of California, Irvine on May 10th where we will award over $200,000 in cash, prizes, and coaching services

Sent on behalf of the Saddleback College President

Dear Friend of Saddleback,

I’m writing to invite you to support the first national social entrepreneurship competition being held at the University of California, Irvine on May 10th where we will award over $200,000 in cash, prizes, and coaching services.  In addition, we will introduce the winners to a team of social impact investors from around the country looking to make serious, high dollar investments.

At our standing room only kick-off event, we invited social innovators to submit business plans that highlight their ideas to create innovative business solutions that will change the world for the better.  Innovative efforts utilizing social entrepreneurial methods are growing rapidly throughout the United States to address challenges in a wide range of areas including but not limited to poverty, homelessness, environment, urban revitalization, health, and education.  Social entrepreneurs address systems—not just the symptoms of a problem they seek to address, and their business models prioritize social impact while generating sustainable funding streams (Published in Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2013).

Our Orange County competition is based on the highly successful Michigan model where ten winners have already received over $1 million in private investments to help them transform the world.  Please go to http://www.michigancorps.org/The-Challenge.aspx to learn more about the Michigan model and the ten winners.

At the May 10th event at UC Irvine, finalists will present their ideas and business plans to judges and the audience for feedback.  The first place winner of the competition will receive $10,000 in cash, several hundred dollars in prizes, personal business coaching valued at over $20,000, and the opportunity to pitch their idea and business plan to potential investors in September.  The second and third place winners will receive $5,000 and $2,500, respectively, and all other finalists $1,000, plus the prizes, coaching services, and investor pitch opportunity.

Applications may be submitted by individuals, groups, and non-profit or for-profit entities.  Applicants must submit their business plans by April 18th. Webinars and other support services are available to help applicants make the due date.  For more information, please go to http://entrepreneurship.saddleback.edu or feel free to contact Dr. Barbara Cox at entrepreneurship@saddleback.edu or 949.348.6226.

This is California’s opportunity to lead the nation in innovation for good, and we need your ideas, business plans, and presence to make this important effort a huge success.  I’ll see you on May 10th!