When UC Berkeley alumna Anna Sadovnikova launched her successful social enterprise devoted to helping pregnant mothers overcome the challenges of breastfeeding, she never expected that she would need to reinvent the entire program -- transforming an in-person breastfeeding simulator into a virtual training program.
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.
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.
Museum of Tomorrow will host an exhibit at David Brower Center that portrays climate change through an interactive approach that people can share with their friends on social media.
In 2018 and 2019, Balcom, a UC Berkeley PhD student in mechanical and development engineering, won the Big Ideas Contest and Big Ideas Scaling Up for Takataka Plastics, a social enterprise that locally transforms plastic waste in Gulu, Uganda into quality and affordable construction materials.
With all of the excitement and funding directed at artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, and gene editing, it is hard to remember that one of the most consistently innovative and financially robust sectors in the United States is the “creative industry.”
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.
Aboubacar Komara, founder and president of Kaloum Bankhi, says his upbringing in both Guinea and the United States has shaped how he understands architecture.
After receiving mentorship from the Big Ideas Contest, Amy Liu, founder and CEO of Partners in Life, became an Innovation Ambassador for both the 2018-2019 academic year and now the 2019-2020 one.
When Amelia Hopkins Phillips, executive director of SOMO, graduated from UC Berkeley in 2016, her plan was to move to Nairobi, Kenya for six months and then return home. Yet three and a half years later, she’s still there.
Do you have an early-stage, social-impact driven idea? Are you a student looking for the support and resources necessary to solve important issues that matter to your generation?
Big Ideas spoke with Emily Huynh to learn about the inspiration behind her Big Idea, Fractal, and what she and her team are currently working on.
In Fall 2018, with support from The Lemelson Foundation, the Big Ideas Contest introduced a pilot "Environmental Responsibility Program" which offered a curriculum on sustainable design approaches.
Big Ideas sat down with long-time judge and mentor Jill Finlayson to learn more about what makes her optimistic about the future of technology.
Although Maria Artunduaga, a Colombian-born translational physician and entrepreneur, says that racial and gender bias has played a major role in shaping her career, she doesn’t view it as an obstacle.
Darryl Diptee used to think of himself as a “closet innovator.” During his time as an officer for the U.S. Navy, Diptee remembers being told to “color inside the lines and innovate on your own time.”
The Big Ideas Contest has been named one of four university social innovation competitions to be a part of The 2019-2020 Rockefeller Foundation-Acumen Student Social Innovation Challenge.
Rohaut wondered if there might be an opportunity to transform underutilized residencies like her apartment during the day into productive spaces for freelancers -- to create a kind of “Airbnb for coworking spaces.” That spark led to Codi, an online platform
Ishita Jain, a judge in the 2018-2019 Big Ideas Contest, specializes in using design as a tool for social impact. She works at the Autodesk Foundation, where she supports entrepreneurs and innovators focused on innovative design solutions
How do you become a social entrepreneur? The question has been the subject of many articles, books, and TED talks. For applicants to the Big Ideas social innovation contest, however, the answer is fairly simple: motivation and mentorship.