Global Social Venture Competition

The Global Social Venture Competition [GSVC] is an innovative partnership between Columbia Business School*, the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, London Business School and the Indian School of Business. The competition aims to foster a new generation of business leaders that values the social as well as the profit potential of business. It achieves this goal by catalyzing and promoting for-profit and not-for-profit ventures that create and measure both social and financial returns.

Winning ventures have included an alternative energy company, a manufacturer of stylish women’s apparel and accessories, a nonprofit charter school, an environmentally friendly manufacturing technology company, a microfinance enterprise focused on the developing world and a community-employment enterprise operating in rural and low-income urban areas.

Venture teams must include at least one current MBA student, and all competing ventures must have been in operation for less than three years. Substantial cash awards are distributed to winning ventures each year.

*The Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center and Columbia Business School wishes to thank Milestone Venture Partners for their generous support of our regional process.

2010 Submission Guidelines and Deadlines:

Specific rules and submission guidelines can be found on the GSVC official website. An information session is scheduled for October 6, 2009 covering details of next year's event (for students only).  For more information, please contact: Lauren Strange, Program Manager, at 212.854.5413 or ls2858@columbia.edu. 

This year's competition took place on April 23-25th. Visit the GSVC site for a list of finalists and winners.

October 6, 2009
GSVC Information Session
12:30-2:00PM
Download Info Session Deck

January 20, 2010
GSVC Executive Summary DUE.
Submit through the GSVC website.
You may also submit to Lauren Strange at ls2858@columbia.edu

January 29, 2010
Pitch Day / SIA Workshop
Time/Location: by invitation only

February 12, 2010
First Draft Business Plan DUE

February 19, 2010
Student Judging Round (Entrants do not attend)
Time/Location: TBD
-By invitation only-

February 26, 2010
SIA Finanlist Selection
Time/Location: TBD
-By invitation only-

March 5, 2010
Semifinalist Business Plan DUE
Submit to Lauren Strange at ls2858@columbia.edu

March 12, 2010
Regional Semi-Finals (Entrants do not attend)
Time/Location: TBD
-By invitation only-

April 6, 2010
Finalist Teams Submit Plan to HAAS

April 22-24, 2010
GSVC Finals and Symposium in Berkeley, California
-By invitation only-