What is the SDSU Social Venture Challenge?

• A pitch competition held annually at SDSU
• Open to SDSU undergraduate students and graduate students AND other Southern California colleges and universities by invitation
• The pitch is based on identifying a significant problem related to the impact of food security in our region and presenting an innovative solution resulting in a social venture
• $15,000 Grand Prize
• Teams will compete for over $35,000 in cash prizes

What is a Social Venture?

The distinguishing characteristic of the social venture versus the commercial venture is the primacy of their objective to solve social problems and provide social benefits. The social venture may generate profits, but that is not its focus. Rather, profits are a possible means to achieve sustainability in providing a social benefit. The entity can be for-profit, non-profit or a hybrid. The problems addressed by social ventures cover a range of social issues, including poverty, inequality, education, the environment, and economic development. In the case of this challenge, we are seeking issues related to the impact of food security on our region and beyond.

Prize Money

• Teams will have the opportunity to compete for $35,000 in cash prizes with a grand prize of $15,000.
• Prize money won by students from invited Universities/Colleges will be distributed to the winner’s home campus and awarded to the individual/team by their campus’s payment department. The awards must be split evenly amongst team members.
• Campuses must be prepared to work with the SDSU Research Foundation for payment processing.