On June 23, the Big Ideas Contest will host its inaugural Scaling Up Grand Prize Pitch competition via Zoom 1:00-2:30 PM PST, featuring four remarkable teams competing for the $25,000 top prize.
Over the past eight months, this year’s Big Ideas winners have endured through the chaos caused by the October wildfires (seem like ages ago, right?), the unprecedented COVID-19 health crisis, and the shutdowns and global disruptions that ensued. They have risen to the top of a large and very talented pool of 1,200 student innovators who submitted their visions for more than 400 early stage social ventures.
In November 2019, the Big Ideas Contest received a record 438 pre-proposal applications, representing over 1,200 students across 12 campuses. After a preliminary round, 43 teams were advanced to the final round.
Skylar Economy, independent filmmaker and co-founder and director of Photogénie Films, notices a gap in the stories large media companies tell.
As a new media professional, working with emerging technologies and Big Ideas Mentor and Innovation Ambassador, Parul Wadhwa says social innovation can improve the lives of marginalized communities.
For many entrepreneurs who come out of the University of California’s Big Ideas social innovation contest, the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic are motivating them to find creative ways to shift their business strategies to stay busy and afloat.
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Blum Center for Developing Economies
The University of California, Berkeley
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