WEST CHESTER — West Chester University is hosting its first Social Innovation Competition — an event to highlight entrepreneurs and their ideas for addressing social issues.
The in-person event is being held on Tuesday, Nov. 16 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the West Chester University Foundation, 202 Carter Drive, West Chester. It will feature presentations from five finalists from the West Chester University community — including undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, and faculty and staff.
The Social Innovation Competition isn’t a typical business “pitch” competition, according to Patricia Diggin, director, Cottrell Entrepreneurial Leadership Center at West Chester University.
“The idea is to address social issues. All of the submissions needed to be tied to UN goals,” she said.
The finalists will present ideas related to achieving solutions for one of 17 United Nations Worldwide goals. Some of the goals listed on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals website include: poverty, hunger, education, clean water and sanitation, sustainable cities and communities, climate action and decent work and economic growth.
Another significant aspect to the event, according to Diggin, is that it is a “powerful” collaboration hosted by the Dr. Edwin Cottrell Entrepreneurial Leadership Center, the West Chest University Center for Civic Engagement and Social Impact, West Chester University Sustainability and Principle for Responsible Management Education.
Diggin said a competition specifically dedicated to social entrepreneurship has been a personal interest of hers, and something she has wanted to do for several years. She told MediaNews Group in February that there has been a need for social entrepreneurship, but that need has been accelerated due to COVID.
“One reason to hold this event is to get students, faculty and staff to think about social challenges and how to address them. There are so many issues and so many that are personal to college populations,” she said, adding that she has found many students are interested in doing good for their communities.
The final competition is open to the public and is a good opportunity to hear what the issues are, and how people are addressing them according to Diggin. The event is free, but registration is required.
The competition was open to West Chester undergraduate and graduate students, West Chester alumni and West Chester faculty members and staff. Five finalists were chosen from among 65 submissions, according to Diggin.
The final projects include urban planning and development, an app that addresses mental illness, a sustainable food market, roasting composting and a service that matches music education students with middle and high school students for virtual music lessons.
The five finalists are:
• The Caring App — Tom Elmer (WCU Adjunct Faculty)
• Music Service Learning — Dr. Marci Major (WCU Faculty), Lauren Ryals (WCU Adjunct Faculty), Spence Camacho (WCU Alumni), Adam Gumble
• Roasting Composting — Kylie Trankle (WCU Undergraduate)
• Fischer General Store — Lorraine Fischer (WCU Undergraduate)
• All-In-One-Tactile Urbanism Platform — Alden Ritchey (WCU Undergraduate)
For this pilot year, Diggin said organizers kept the participants to the WCU community, and reached out beyond the university’s college of business.
“We have a broad range of academic backgrounds. It’s a way to engage the whole community,” she said. In addition to a presenter from the college of business, other disciplines include music education, nutrition and urban development.
On Nov. 16, the finalists will present their ideas to a panel of judges. The inaugural competition includes $5,000 in prize money, and the opportunity for participants to have their ideas heard by business people and potential investors.
The presentations will focus on describing the product, service or technology; what the product, service or technology does and the problems it addresses; and the features and benefits of the product, service or technology.
The finalists will also describe how their product, service or technology is unique, what community it serves and the marketing strategy.
In addition to the presentations, Nick Bayer, CEO of Saxby’s will offer remarks. The event is being moderated by Emily Yates Giulioni, director of Smart City in Philadelphia.
To be eligible for the Social Innovation Competition, the idea cannot have already been commercialized and must be related to at least one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development goals. Teams of up to four people were eligible.
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