UNC Charlotte students interested in solving community social problems are invited to form teams to compete at the 2015 University of North Carolina Social Entrepreneurship Conference.
The competition is open to teams of up to 10 members, including UNC Charlotte students and community representatives. Teams must be led by either undergraduate or graduate students in the competition, which will be held in February 2015. Statewide winners will receive cash prizes.
Now in its third year, the UNC Social Entrepreneurship Conference engages students, faculty and entrepreneurs from across the state to identify North Carolina’s social problems, and take a business-oriented approach to solve them. The UNC General Administration will host the conference at N.C. A&T State University in Greensboro.
UNC Charlotte student teams interested in competing must indicate their interest no later than Friday, Oct. 31, 2014; email info@ventureprise.org. Teams will receive guidance from the 49er Student Business Incubator located in the PORTAL Building and from additional coaches and webinars. Students also may contact Ventureprise at 704-687-0900 with questions concerning the competition.
Earlier this year, a team of Lee College of Engineering students won second place in the undergraduate category for its Solar Traffic Light project.
Teams will develop a business plan to address a social problem facing the immediate Charlotte community, the multi-county region or North Carolina. The business plan may ultimately serve needs beyond the community. The plan will define the problem and the proposed solution including market size and value proposition. It will include a financial analysis and a social impact analysis and will address implementation. The proposal may be for a new nonprofit or for-profit organization or for an extension of an existing organization.
Student teams are encouraged to engage community stakeholders to determine needs, service gaps, and possible solutions. Teams may include non-student community members within the 10-person team limit.
UNC Charlotte will select up to two undergraduate and two graduate student led teams to participate in the statewide competition. These finalists will receive in-depth coaching from the Small Business and Technology Development Center staff. Final business plans for the statewide competition will be completed by Jan. 15, 2015.