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The Power of Listening to Pitches: Lessons Learned from Impactathon 21

We often think about pitches, pitch events, and the act of pitching happening to improve the pitch.

But, through co-convening nearly two dozen events culminating in 1-5 minute social enterprise startup pitches, I can firmly say there is tremendous, overlooked value in listening to pitches.

Impactathon #21 – Pacific Northwest (PNW)

A few weeks ago marked the 21st convening of Innov8social’s signature event and the first one in the Pacific Northwest. We call it Impactathon® and its various forms bring people together to identify issues and brainstorm business solutions.

This Impactathon MINI – Quick Pitch Edition, hosted by Startup253 at TractionSpace in Tacoma, Washington, had a special goal. To support participants’ creative thinking and quick pitching. Many participants were active entrepreneurs, angel investors, and ecosystem-builders accustomed to sharing and listening to pitches. And, some were newer to putting thought to idea and pitching with an ‘ask’.

The Goal: Pitch Something New

Considering the wisdom in the room, we added an element to this unique Impactathon: pitch something new.

Through a guided mini workshop, participants five-minute sprint rounds to help brainstorm issues, converge ideas, map out solutions, and identify what they might need, have, and ask for from the judges at the event.

As founders, we sometimes experience periods of stagnation in pitching. We repeat phrases to explain our work, not because they convey it more clearly or persuasively, but because they are familiar, memorized, and part of our rote flow for the pitch.

So, this goal and exercise gave permission– a mandate, even– to come up with ideas that were brainstormed in just a few minutes, and to which participants might feel able to openly and boldly pitch– with little at stake, and little actual sweat and financial equity to the idea. It was a call to reconnect with the fun and sense of ‘play’ in brainstorming and pitching. With the idea of putting us back in the playground sandbox, so that when participants revisited their actual, hard-fought ideas and enterprises, they may infuse their usual pitches with new perspective.

What Actually Happened: Learning Through Listening

These were the things we hoped for when designing this Impactathon Mini. And, from the enthusiastic feedback, I hope we supported that. However, after listening to over twenty pitches, I was most struck by what we learned by listening.

There was a pitch that shared a personal search for social connection through an idea for an app to connect fellow individuals interested in attending the same concerts, events, and new restaurants. There was pitch that shared the challenges of having a loved one on the autistic spectrum and ideating ways to introduce potential stressors of group interaction through VR. There was a pitch about the new lens of the need for wearable tech that can alert wearers about sudden spikes to blood pressure gained through a lived experience of a recent stroke. There was a pitch passionately articulating the challenges of being a single parent and a founder trying to network and connect with the entrepreneurship ecosystem with that lens.

The solutions were innovative and bold, but the stories are what have stayed with me. I always encourage Impactathoners to identify and seek to solve problems that they can validate, that they may have some insight into. By sharing, it may have released or opened something for the Impactathoners, and it definitely did for me as a listener. I was put in the shoes of another’s experience to relate to the issue faced.

With these seasoned entrepreneurs, I was struck that they used this time to do exactly that, in some of the most personal ways. If (and when : ) I become an investor, I would like to ask founding teams what they are vulnerable about, what they might be healing from. Even if not comfortably shared in discussion, the questions themselves are catalyzing. I believe sharing our stories and truths make us more human, relatable. Rather than detracting from our acumen as founders, can help us pinpoint the greater ‘why’ and provide a pathway to invite others to engage with our work in deeply authentic ways.

Pitch Awards

Prizes were handed out to teams to recognize great ideas, compelling pitches, and entertaining solutions, including:

Photos

 

You can view more photos from Impactathon 21 Mini : Quick Pitch Edition.

Gratitudes

First and foremost, thanks to every person who pitched. For some it was a fun, easy, breezy opportunity to share. For others, they leaned into courage in stepping on to the podium. Your voices were heard and your ideas can continue to impact others through being shared.

I am grateful to Ston Nguyen and Startup253 team, Richard Fichera and TractionSpace, and Karina Martija-Harris (she/her/hers) and Maritime Blue for being part of the event and serving as judges.

It was wonderful and very special to have Innov8social team member Klara Hermesz join her first live event.

And, the event happened at the After Party following a vibrant day of panels and discussions at the South Sound Tech Conference held at the University of Washington Tacoma and co-hosted by the Economic Development Board of Pierce County. Thank you to the teams at both institutions for creating an inclusive space that flowed through in the post-event gathering.

Impactathon is a registered trademark of Innov8social.

 

👋 I’m Neetal Parekh, the founder of Innov8social, author of 51 Questions on Social Entrepreneurship, and convener of Impactathon®. Innov8social works with individuals, companies, and institutions to help build ecosystems for social impact through designing convenings, content, and communication strategies. You can follow us at @innov8social and @impactathon.

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Impactathon 18 with Soka University Bridges to Business: Incorporating IRL at a Virtual Gathering

Impactathon 18: Virtual Distancing and Virtual Convening to Make a Whole Experience

Impactathon® 18 with Soka University of America hosted by Bridges to Business took place virtually (with an on-campus presence) on February 2-4, 2022.

After a kickoff session involving socially distanced speed networking and masks on campus and then moved to virtual with an introductory workshop on social enterprise over Zoom. Students began the ‘teaming’ process of identifying topics, team members and complementary strengths.

The next day included three virtual Impact Talks by practicing social entrepreneurs, representing a mix of business models, stages, and kinds of impact. The day also included mini-workshops on introduction to startup finances, intro to pitching, and intro to problem mapping.

Interspersed during the day were blocks of time for teams to work on their pitch deck and practice pitches with the event team, who are all social entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs, and also with each other. We used tools like a “Dashboard” with quick links and low tech message board to create a more uniform experience and make navigating between virtual and in-person a little smoother.

Many teams worked late into the night or awoke early as they prepared for final pitches on the 3rd day. Judges gathered online and teams shared screens and delivered their pitches and slides over a few minutes and then stayed on to answer questions from judges for an additional few minutes.

 

Students engaging in social distanced networking

Zoom screenshot from an Impact Talk showing students and speaker

Watch the Pitches

 

Meet the Teams

Team Name One-line description Team members
Double A Energy Online platform for young artists and community members to display art and contribute towards mitigating light pollution and saving marine life Alisa, Aarohee
Prabashi Sathi

“Friends of Immigrants”

 Bridging the gap between the Nepali immigrants and the concerned authorities for efficient communication, help, and support. Anjan, 

Mukesh, 

Aashish
Food 4 Fund A mobile application for rescuing food loss from restaurants. Preme,

Haruka
Embracing the Red

(ME-BOX)

 Destigmatizing Menstruation in Nepal through education and awareness using Me-Box, a box containing products and information related to menstruation. Paridhi, 

Nugnandini, 

Aakriti 
The Tre Project A non-profit project providing affordable eco-friendly, locally-sourced sanitary pads to Vietnamese ethnic minority groups Carmen, Chau
AhotɔHealth AhotɔHealth is a technology-powered patient management platform that streamlines healthcare delivery and maximizes healthcare outcomes through facilitated access to medical services, affordable prescription medicines, and patient advocacy services. Anthony, Finleyrose, Kelvin,  Baffour
Savvy Govvy A Citizen-Centric Appointment Scheduling Software for Government in Vietnam Thuy, Abigail
Enjovu Paper Enjovu Paper raises awareness for endangered elephants by recycling elephant dung and producing paper products. Anthea, Yixin, Qiankuan

 

Each team has incredible promise and work ahead. The judges recognized the following teams with awards:

 

Award Winners

1st Place Social Impact Award

  • Embracing the Red (ME-BOX)
  • Enjovu Paper

2nd Place Social Impact Award

  • Food 4 Fund
  • AhotɔHealth

Most Ready to Go-to-Market Award

  • Savvy Govvy

People’s Choice Award

  • Enjovu Paper

 

Impactathon event flyer with photos of Impact Talk Speakers, Judges, and Catalysts

Impact Talk Speakers

Impact Talks:

  • jacob adams, STEM to the Future
  • Nisha Desai, Ennuity Holdings
  • David Ochi, V1 Ventures
  • Rachel Connors, Yellow Leaf Hammocks

Judges

  • Melody Estrada of Me&Co.
  • Dave Landa of Kintone
  • Tom Havens of HALO Branded Solutions
  • Shaheen Sheik-Sadhal of Esse Law, PC
  • Isabelle Bart, of Smartpreneur Women
  • Brian Walker of Picture Motion

 

Screenshot of Judges of Impactathon 18 on Zoom

Impact Workshops

  • Introduction to Social Enterprise
  • Problem-Mapping
  • Social Enterprise Pitch
  • Financials for Startups

 

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What Does a Fully Virtual Impactathon Look Like? A BTS Look

What Does a Fully Virtual Impactathon Look Like? A Behind-the-Scenes Look

Impactathon for Future Flourishing was organized as an interactive 24-hour hackathon experience to innovate inclusive solutions to global poverty amid covid-19 and rising awareness of the importance of building more inclusive systems. It took place on Aug 21-22, 2020. Participants joined as teams or individually to build social impact solutions. Cash prizes for top teams included $2000+, as well as non-monetary prizes. It marked the first fully virtual Impactathon.

Over 200 people from 15 countries connected, learned, discussed, collaborated, co-created and pitched social enterprise-inspired ideas to poverty alleviation at Impactathon® for Future Flourishing. This event marks the 16th Impactathon and first fully virtual version.

Impactathon event image with Impactathon logo and black and white photos of Impact Catalysts

An Impactathon rooted in UN SDG 1: ending poverty

Rooted in UN #SDG 1 (ending all forms of poverty everywhere by 2030), participants focused on mapping and seeking solutions to instances of extreme global poverty (in emerging economies) or ways to support safety nets to end poverty in developed economies.

Forty-seven Impact Catalysts from diverse backgrounds and geographies joined to advise, share subject matter expertise, support, judge, connect, and engage both with each other and with the participants.

After an intense twenty-four hours across more than five time zones, 22 teams pitched to judges. It was hands-down the most logistically complex Impactathon I have co-convened.

But, it was truly incredible.

Using tech platforms to facilitate connection and collaboration

Via Zoom, Discord, Eventbrite, Google Drive, WhatsApp, Youtube, and other platforms — and with the dedication and perseverance of all involved to overcome tech challenges– we were able to do more than join a videoconference for this virtual Impactathon. We were able to collaborate, to gain a feel of what it is like to be in a room together. A room without borders, without physical location, without a singular sense of time.

Google drive screenshot
Eventbrite Impactathon event screenshot
Youtube Impactathon event screenshot

When we let go of what that interaction ‘should’ be, and thanks to the incredible leadership of the organizing team, we were able to lean in to what it could be.

When we allowed space for co-creation, much of which happened after Impactathoners were ‘in the room’, we could adapt and create spaces, resources, and feedback loops to support the dynamic needs.

We did this amid fire threats and evacuations in the SF Bay area, power outages in Africa, and every range of wifi connectivity issues you might dare to imagine. But thanks to the steadfastness and adaptability, dedication, and true grit of everyone involved—these interactions happened instead of hoping to have happened.

The ‘competition’ for a virtual event? Doing nothing.

These days the biggest ‘competition’ for a virtual event, is no event at all. We each have the option of simply not logging on to a webinar, an online meetup, another Zoom call.

So to have this dynamic group of critical thinkers and impact-driven problemsolvers say an emphatic yes through presence and engagement—is a sign of something important. Despite challenging news headlines, a sense of lack of agency due to pandemic and systemic inequities…when given the chance, people want to co-create solutions. People want to be part of change.

This is the belief that powers and empowers my work through Innov8social. Creating tools, resources, programs to make social entrepreneurship more accessible and actionable. TLDR; to give agency back to people to create meaningful change.

Naming our impact ecosystem

There are too many people and organizations to thank and recognize. But, impact ecosystem-building is all about including, connecting, seeing, hearing, acknowledging— so I will try to do so here (and keep updating :)

Co-creating Impactathon with a dedicated collaborator and client

The idea, motivation, and heart of this event came from Adam Cole, founder of Join the Journey. His network of military, faith-based changemakers, and microfinance community in Haiti, Zambia, and beyond and his ability to personally connect, invite and involve so many diverse voices empowered this Impactathon.

Thank you to the participants.

This event and experience was designed for you. We hope you felt that. We hope you know that. The content, the platforms, the Impact Catalysts, the talks and panel discussions were created and organized to put tools in your tool belt as impact problemsolvers.

I heard from many that the pitches were hard. How do you put so much information into 4 minutes? There is no one way as you experienced. However, you should feel proud of yourselves that you attempted it. You did the hard thing of trying to map social impact issues, work on inclusive solutions, and share your work. It’s a step in your greater journey— one that you met with courage.

Recognizing the ‘go-team’ working seamlessly behind the scenes

For all of the work Impactathoners saw, there is a depth of work they may not have even realized was happening behind-the-scenes. Deep gratitude to each of you.

Adam Cole, Leon Wang, Jenna Carlton, Grace Wangari, Rebekah DeButts, Ioana Ghimus, Peter Ngugi, Arianna Camargo.

Thank you to our many Impact Catalysts, and those who took on the role organically.

We heard from so many Impactathon participants about the wonderful engagement, conversations, and insight they gained through conversations with and by you.

Jacob Adams, Ezenwayi Amaechi, PhD, Spencer Arnold, Heather Arora, Anita Balaraman, Marc Alain Boucicault, Dr. David Babbs, Brendan Barbato, Chuck Brown, Nick Brown, Sam C. Burke,Theresa L Carpenter, Adam Cole, Sylvia Doss, Gloria Ferrer,Miloni Gandhi, Nathaniel Gilman, Michael Gordon, Flossie Hall, Andrew Hening, Prasad Jaladi, Cate Johnson,Mary Patrick Kavanaugh, Michelle Kurian, Ramon Llamas, MPH, Mark Lovett, Silvia Mah PhD, MBA, Mwihaki Muraguri, KP Naidu, Pamela O’Brien, Adeniyi Oluokun, Mark Papia, Neetal Parekh, Leena Patel, MD, MPH, Jean-Louis Robadey, Larry Simpson, Rukayatu Tijani, Brian Walker, Leon Wang, Gillian Foster Wilkinson

Thank you to our Impact Talk Speakers.

Your talks helped create a common experience and invited innovation, collaboration, and authenticity through your own example of the same.

Julie-Anne Savarit-Cosenza, Mike Sehzue, and Daniel Jean-Louis.

Thank you to our judges.

Giving thoughtful feedback on social impact pitches requires focus and patience, in any setting. Our judges, however, were tested by technology challenges and a roster of 20+ teams that required their active attention and feedback for five hours.The thoughtfulness and candor of the feedback will no doubt continue to transform and shape the work of Impactathoners beyond this event.

Radha Basu, Will Harris, Grace Rodriguez, Eric Van Trump, and Mark Papia.

Thank you to our sponsors.

If you have followed my reflections on impact ecosystem-building, you may know that an observation shared by many ecosystem builders is the inherent challenge in finding who in the system will value our work and empower it to continue and grow. In this case, a host of sponsors stood alongside Join the Journey to invest monetarily, in-kind, and through thought leadership to ensure that this event could be delivered; and that we would not turn any potential participant away for lack of funds.

Global SouthXSouth Consulting, International Strategic Management, Perfecto Coffee, #HumanIntelligence, Banj, Impact Hub Houston, Fokcus Mentoring, Cedel Haiti, Willpower Warriors, Africa Education Program, iMerit Technology, and Adastra Ventures.

Would you like to co-create the next hybrid or fully virtual Impactathon?

There is momentum and learning that has happened. I always think the end of an Impactathon is the perfect moment to start the next one because we are at a pinnacle of knowledge and awareness. If you are interested in co-creating an Impactathon® for your company, community, university, or group, please be in touch. You can schedule a time to chat here.

 

Innov8social works with social entrepreneurs, foundations, and universities to help build ecosystems for social impact through designing convenings, content, and communication strategies. To learn more, schedule a quick call and follow @innov8social.

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Impactathon for Future Flourishing – a focus on poverty alleviation

About Impactathon for Future Flourishing

Impactathon for Future Flourishing was organized as an interactive 24-hour hackathon experience to innovate inclusive solutions to global poverty amid covid-19 and rising awareness of the importance of building more inclusive systems. It took place on Aug 21-22, 2020. Participants joined as teams or individually to build social impact solutions. Cash prizes for top teams included $2000+, as well as non-monetary prizes included will be awarded to top teams.

 

Impactathon for Future Flourishing event image with Impactathon logo and black and white photos of Impact Catalysts

About this Event

Impactathon® for Future Flourishing was a call to all changemakers and social entrepreneurs driven to find new ways to uplift communities and alleviate poverty in a post-pandemic world.

Participants from hubs around the world joined for a two-day virtual Impactathon where they deepened their understanding about what causes poverty locally and globally and worked in teams to develop solutions.

Poverty, in this moment

Since launching this unique Impactathon in early June, covid19 cases surged and systemic racism emerged as a global movement. Poverty is a critical part of this story. Estimates for global poverty have been increased by 50M attributed to covid-19 (Brookings).

An Impactathon focusing on the mindset of “building an inclusive future”

For Impactathon for Future Flourishing, the 16th Impactathon, Innov8social collaborated with Join the Journey, an international empowerment organization, to take participants on a journey of discovery– diving into realities much of the world faces living day-to-day without stable electricity, water, and paved roads–and exploring how covid-19 affects these issues. Teams worked together to ask questions, research existing solutions, identify gaps, and brainstorm and build approaches to build a thriving future using innovative strategies and existing technologies in a sprint-to-the-finish 24-hour push. Top solutions were awarded cash and other prizes.

Participants heard from a handful of speakers and Impact Catalysts who have started social enterprises and impact organizations that have helped hundreds of thousands of people. You can tune into the recordings to hear their candid experiences in how they navigated unique challenges with an entrepreneurial mindset.

This event did not require a background in social impact. Participants were asked to bring their deep curiosity, a sense of empathy, and a problemsolving mindset. Through Impactathon,  an Impact Workshop walked participants through an introduction to social enterprise and design-thinking approaches to understanding a problem and developing solutions. This Impactathon was designed for those who have ever felt a deep desire to create positive impact, whether locally in their city or globally for the world.

Impact Talk Speakers

  • Mike Sehzue, Partner at Global SouthxSouth, Founder of Miseh Distilling Company. Social Entrepreneur, Impact Investing Advisor.
  • Julie-Anne Savarit-Cosenza, Founder & Executive Director of the African Education Program. Systems thinker in poverty alleviation.
  • Daniel Jean-Louis, President and CEO of Bridge Capital S.A. Social Entrepreneur & Investor.

Impact Catalysts and Panel Speakers

  • Ezenwayi Amaechi, PhD, Assistant Professor, Entrepreneurship, Johnson & Wales University, Market Strategist. Social Entrepreneur.
  • Spencer Arnold, Director of Global Operations, Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University.
  • Heather Arora, M.S. in Organizational Behavior, Founder of Purple Plants. Impact Ecosystem Builder.
  • Anita Balaraman, Product Management and Marketing Consultant. Social Entrepreneur.
  • Marc Alain Boucicault, Founder and CEO at Banj. Impact Ecosystem Builder.
  • David Babbs, PhD Social Work (Social Innovation), Activist, Macro, Veteran. Educator.
  • Brendan Barbato, Startup pitch expertise, Brand & Partnerships. Social Entrepreneur.
  • Chuck Brown, Founder of Orion Consulting, Social Enterprise Alliance Board Member. Impact Ecosystem Builder.
  • Nick Brown, Founder at Clear Purchase. International Payment System Expert.
  • Sam C. Burke, Brand Communications and Marketing. Impact Ecosystem Builder.
  • Theresa L Carpenter, Navy Public Affairs Officer, Communication Professional, Advocate for women and companion animals.
  • Adam Cole, Founder of Join the Journey. Social Entrepreneur.
  • Sylvia Doss, Data-driven Strategic Consultant, Senior Adjunct Professor at Golden Gate University.
  • Gloria Ferrer, International Economic Development Specialist, Partner at COMPETITIVENESS. Founder of KINADONA. Social Entrepreneur.
  • Miloni Gandhi, Founder and Principal International LLC, Adjunct Faculty Foothill College. Impact Ecosystem Builder.
  • Nathaniel Gilman, Co-founder of Mariner Credential Service. Social Entrepreneur.
  • Michael Gordon, Professor of Social Entrepreneurship, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.
  • Flossie Hall, COO Assoc.Military Spouse Entrepreneurs. Social Entrepreneur.
  • Andrew Hening, Co-founder Opening Doors Marin, Director of Homeless Planning & Outreach San Rafael. Systems Thinker.
  • Prasad Jaladi, Chief Facilitator of Suraksha.Social Entrepreneur.
  • Cate Johnson, Founder ArborRevolutions, Innovation Catalyst, Advisor, Facilitator. Impact Ecosystem Builder.
  • Mary Patrick Kavanaugh, Director of Special Projects at Soka University. Impact Ecosystem Builder.
  • Michelle Kurian, Executive Director of The Harvest Fund. Social Entrepreneur.
  • Ramon Llamas, MPH, Population Health Strategy at Everytable
  • Mark Lovett, Founder of Storytelling with Impact, TEDx organizer. Impact Storyteller.
  • Mwihaki Muraguri, Storysmith, Principal at Paukwa House. Impact Storyteller.
  • KP Naidu, VP Benetech Labs. Poverty Alleviation Systems Thinker.
  • Pamela O’Brien, Director of Development at African Education Program, International Development Strategist.
  • Adeniyi Oluokun, Co-founder at Consulting Youth, Co-founder at Access Drive. Social Entrepreneur.
  • Mark Papia, Head of Content & Communications at iMerit Technology Services. Social Intrapreneur.
  • Neetal Parekh, Founder of Innov8social, Host of the Impact Podcast, Author. Impact Ecosystem Builder.
  • Leena Patel, MD, MPH, Senior Technical Officer, Public Health Professional
  • Jean-Louis Robadey, Principal Company at Impact Consulting Group LLC. Impact Ecosystem Builder.
  • Larry Simpson, Join the Journey Board Member, Puget Sound & Family Ministry Field Representative.
  • Brian Walker, Founder of Culture Bridge, Social Intrapreneur. Social Impact Ecosystem Builder.
  • Leon Wang, M.S. in Biomimicry, ABAR Intersectional Environmentalist. Impact Ecosystem Builder.
  • Gillian Foster Wilkinson, Microfinance Learning Manager at HOPE International. Microfinance Specialist.

Judges 

  • Radha Basu, CEO of iMerit Technology Services, Founder of Frugal Innovation Lab at Santa Clara University.
  • Will Harris, CEO of Willpower Consulting, Chairman of Willpower Humanitarian Foundation.
  • Grace Rodriguez, CEO/Executive Director of Impact Hub Houston, Advisor to Social Enterprises
  • Eric Van Trump, Board Member at Join the Journey, Entrepreneur.

 

Topic-based Panel Discussions

Informal topical panel talks with various Impact Catalysts were recorded to dive deeper into aspects of poverty alleviation (in developing and developed countries), economic empowerment, social enterprise and impact storytelling.

These talks were shared with Impactathon participants ahead of the start of the virtual Impactathon as a way to learn about topics, meet the Impact Catalysts, gain an introduction into the ‘systems view’ of poverty alleviation, and to being to think like problemsolvers.

 

Prizes

Join the Journey awarded cash prizes to top teams. Additionally, Impact Hub Houston awarded three 3-month Accelerate Memberships along with mentoring and pro bono consulting hours awarded by Sponsors.

 

Who Attended Impactathon for Future Flourishing

  • Social entrepreneurs with proven ideas and traction who are looking to scale their work.
  • Student changemakers
  • Young Professionals looking to learn more about social enterprise
  • Experienced/retired professionals seeking to leverage expertise for social good
  • The active-duty and veteran tech community
  • Faith-based groups seeking to serve through social innovation

 

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

SDG Goal 1 is Eliminating Poverty. From the UN, “The decline of global extreme poverty continues, but has slowed…. People who continue to live in extreme poverty face deep, entrenched deprivation often exacerbated by violent conflicts and vulnerability to disasters. Strong social protection systems and government spending on key services often help those left behind get back on their feet and escape poverty, but these services need to be brought to scale.”

 

Open to All

Impactathon for Future Flourishing was open to all participants and is not based upon participant race, religion, ethnicity, socio-economic background, sexuality, and gender.

 

Watch the Panel Talk Videos

About Join the Journey

Join the Journey (JTJ) is a faith-based empowerment organization that provides crowd-sourced micro-loans to entrepreneurs in vulnerable parts of the world. The impact organization recently launched Spark, a mobile application that is a platform to match entrepreneurs and potential donors. JTJ was founded in 2010 by a military servicemember whose experiences serving in the Haiti relief mission post-earthquake there inspired him to work on behalf of the most hurting.

 

About Innov8social

Innov8social creates experiences, content, training, and tools to make social entrepreneurship and impact leadership more accessible and actionable. This includes The Impact Podcast and book, 51 Questions on Social Entrepreneurship, and Impactathon® event series. Its mission is to help individuals and organizations reach their impact potential. Innov8social has partnered to co-convene 15 Impactathons in cities including San Francisco, New York City, Aliso Viejo, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, Baton Rouge.

Impactathon is a registered trademark of Innov8social.

 

 

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Impactathon UCLA Anderson 2019 in Partnership with The SAM Initiative

Cheers to a successful Impactathon® #11 in partnership with UCLA Anderson and The SAM Initiative! After successive rounds of pitching, $20,000 in grants were awarded to eight social enterprise teams and founders.

We gave participants the challenge of ‘showing up’ as impact-driven problem-solvers. They delivered.

Over two days, participants heard from incredible Impact Talk speakers on various aspects of addressing social impact and were introduced to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as from a practitioner who is doing the work of scaling a social enterprise. They learned about logic models and impact gap analysis from a UCLA Anderson professor.

And, they pitched. Three times! First, each participant– to the tune of over 40– shared brief ‘elevator’ pitches while forming teams. Then, 17 teams and founders pitch their social enterprise ideas in two-minute pitches the following day to three judges including faculty and practitioners. Finally, with less than an hour in between, eight teams and founders shared four-minute pitches to six judges, including funders from The SAM Initiative and industry experts.

Congratulations to every participant for being part of the experience and staying ‘in the arena‘ to develop impact-driven ideas, pursue feedback, and iterate. We encourage Impactathoners to take a long view of their work and keep finding ways to move it forward. Thank you to the speakers, funders, catalysts, volunteers, co-organizers, and participants for making the event possible! And a special thank you to the Innov8social team, including Jaco and Pavel for your instrumental work and dedication.

 

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David setting up for the first round of pitches at #Impactathon. . . . #goanddo #ecosystembuilding #socialenterprise

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Announcing the Impactathon UCLA Anderson 2019 Award Recipients

  • Best Overall: Simple Gardens ($6,000). A turn-key urban garden solution combining art and gardening for an in-home food growing system.
  • Most Likely to Create Impact: One Million Acres ($5,000).  A buy-one-save-one program that has already protected 4K acres of rainforest through the sale of handmade bracelet from indigenous communities.
  • Championing Reducing Inequalities (SDG 10): Infinite Flow ($2,000).  A professional dance group that champions dancers across ability, furthering core values of inclusion and diversity.
  • Championing Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11): U Build Ur World ($2,000).  A social worker and veteran founder pitching innovative, affordable housing in the form of microvillages for veterans.
  • Championing Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7): Kilowatt Killer ($1,000).  A team includeing a retired high school teacher and high school students reducing CO2 emissions through a radically affordable, patented home cooling system.
  • Championing Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12): 50 Alt 50 ($1,000).  Produce shopping app that identifies local farm options for consumers.
  • Most Innovative Changemaker: Unpacking Racism in Healthcare ($500).  An app to inform and let users report instances of racism within the healthcare system.
  • Best Problem-Mapping: Re-coop ($500).  Online platform to match users with cooperative housing options.
  • People’s’ Choice Award: One Million Acres ($2,000)

 

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#Impactathon award recipients announced at #ImpactWeek closing ceremonies @uclaanderson. . . #socialimpact #pitches #problemmapping

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The Themes for Impactathon Anderson 2019

This year’s Impactathon at UCLA Anderson focused on the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

Social entrepreneurs working to create or advance good health and well-being; sustainable cities and communities; and/or responsible consumption and production, were especially encouraged to apply. The UN Sustainable Goals (SDG’s) were launched in 2015 to address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity and peace and justice.

Who Attended

Impactathon was attended by a diverse group of individuals. It included, social entrepreneurs with proven ideas and traction who are looking to scale their work. UCLA undergraduate and graduate students and other business leaders seeking to share their skills with existing teams. Local undergraduate and graduate school students studying or interested in engaging in the social impact sector. Individuals seeking to learn about social impact and social entrepreneurship, map a problem, and ideate solutions to a local or global issue

 


Facilitator

Neetal Parekh, Founder of Innov8social, Author of 51 Questions on Social Entrepreneurship, Host of The Impact Podcast by Innov8social, Convener of Impactathon®

Impact Talks

Workshop

Gayle Northrop, Lecturer at UCLA Anderson and Senior Advisor of Impact@Anderson, President and Principal at Northrop Consulting.

Catalysts

  • Kat Karimi, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Civic Innovation Lab
  • Leah Nanni, Founder & Program Manager of The Art of Smart Tutoring, Consultant at Startup UCLA

Judges

 

 

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Lightning Round Judges listening in to 17 #pitches at #Impactathon! . . #goanddo #ecosystembuilding #socialenterprise

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About Impact Week at Anderson

In its 5th year and with the theme Purpose + Profits, Impact Week at UCLA Anderson focused on building a robust bridge to local issues in Southern California as well as global issues. Recognizing that some of the best ideas to solve social challenges come from the communities in which those challenges persist, Impact@Anderson believes social innovation and entrepreneurship must bridge the gap between community and classroom.

About The SAM Initiative

Founded in 2013 by Mindy Freedman, the SAM Initiative is a group of individuals who have pooled their financial resources and experience to fund and support exceptional and innovative programs in Los Angeles that promote social change and benefit women, children and families. The SAM Initiative was founded on the belief that we have more impact together than we have alone. Together, we strive to educate and engage donors by investing in community-based organizations that reflect our passions and address the most pressing needs in our community.

About Impactathon®

Innov8social partners with mission-driven companies, institutions, and foundations to bring together individuals together for Impactathons, interactive social impact events that catalyze collaboration, innovation, working in teams, and pitching social impact solutions for feedback and potential recognition.

Impactathon has partnered to deliver 11 Impactathons in cities including San Francisco, New York City, Aliso Viejo, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, Baton Rouge.

 

Interested in convening an Impactathon for your university, foundation, company or event? Let’s connect.

 

 

 

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Almost go time! #impactathon @uclaanderson . . #goanddo

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Gratitude works best when it is in motion

It has been a reflective weekend after an incredible first Impactathon on Saturday.

I have been turning over the inspiring experiences, conversations, and unfolding of Saturday’s event. One of the recurring thoughts has to do with gratitude. So many amazing people and organizations made the event a reality.

Impactathon photo collage

Inner gratitude

To be grateful can create deep inner fulfillment and peace, to put gratitude in motion, can create exponential impact.

Gratitude in motion

At Impactathon, TechShop generously offered participants opportunities to engage with their impressive maker space through introductory memberships. Tomorrow, participant social entrepreneurs could put that gratitude in motion by developing new skills and using them to solve nuanced problems.

Impactathon speakers John Montgomery, Nathan Pham, Heather Scott Arora, and David Hodgson graciously shared their stories with candor, honesty, and authenticity. Tomorrow, social entrepreneurs could put their gratitude in motion using the insight learned about legal structures for social impact, fundraising social enterprise, and the polarities of distraction from and focus on mission in their own companies and initiatives—which could redefine success for the social enterprise space.

Our volunteers, media, and participants showed up in every way and gave their best to engage and create—astounding themselves and us. Tomorrow, that gratitude could be put in motion through their incremental successes and our ability to share the Impactathon experience with new audiences and forums, and find new ways to empower social entrepreneurs, social intrapreneurs, and informed consumers.

Listen in

You can hear more about the event in this episode of The Impact Podcast by Innov8social recorded live at Impacathon.

 

How do you put gratitude in motion?

This deeper reflection on gratitude and its ability to catalyze change has also cultivated a unique curiosity. How are individuals, organizations, and companies practicing gratitude, and how does it impact their relationships and work?

I suspect (and from experience) the most gracious scarcely consider it a practice, as it is more their modus operandi; or as John Montgomery mentioned and Heather Arora reiterated in their talks—an ‘operating system powered by love over fear’.

 

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