The Edmund H. Shea Jr. Center for Entrepreneurship at BC's Carroll School of Management and the Center for Social Innovation within the University’s School of Social Work have been chosen as the official academic partners for the Forbes $1 million Global Change the World pitch competitions that are part of the 2016 Forbes Under 30 Summit taking place October 16-19 in Boston,
"At an event that celebrates some of the world's best young entrepreneurs, we're proud to again host the world's largest competition for young entrepreneurs of all types. The partners we have in this endeavor are fittingly world-class,” said Forbes magazine editor Randall Lane.
In one competition, Forbes is partnering with Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary, co-founders of Sound Ventures, as well as Boston-based Rough Draft Ventures, to host a $500,000 global competition for early stage for-profit entrepreneurs who have disruptive and scalable ideas with the potential to change the world.
Forbes is also partnering with the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation to host a $500,000 competition for U.S.-based social entrepreneurs who are advancing solutions that will improve educational outcomes for PreK-12 students nationwide, with particular focus on low-income and urban communities.
Eight finalists, four from the for-profit competition and four from the nonprofit competition, will each pitch their companies at the Forbes Under 30 Summit on October 17 and 18. One winner will be selected from each competition.
Students, alumni, faculty, and staff of Boston College's Shea Center for Entrepreneurship and Center for Social Innovation will manage the initial review and assessment of applications, whittling down a field of approximately 2,000 applicants, with final decisions to be made by the official Forbes Under 30 Summit judging team.
“The Boston College team is excited to be a part of this effort, building upon its entrepreneurship work in Boston and around the world,” said Jere Doyle, executive director of the Shea Center for Entrepreneurship.
"It’s going to get the entire BC community involved and that’s the whole idea here," he said. "This is a great opportunity, particularly for our mission to train students around entrepreneurship, how to work in an entrepreneurial environment, and how to be great entrepreneurs on both the social entrepreneurship and for-profit sides."
"The Forbes competition works to find 'disruptive, scalable solutions' to the world's most pressing problems,” said Center for Social Innovation Co-Director Stephanie Berzin, an associate professor in BC's School of Social Work.
“This opportunity to bring the University together with practice, media, and business demonstrates the power of collaboration," she said. "Today's global problems need us to work across lines to foster the most effective solutions. We are thrilled to be part of that endeavor."
Entries are now being acception for the competitions; for more information about eligibility and entry requirements, visit the Forbes Under 30 Summit $1 Million Change the World Competitions website.
The Forbes Under 30 Summit, expected to bring together more than 5,000 global entrepreneurs and game changers of all ages, will take place at different venues in Boston, including Faneuil Hall and at other academic institutions. Two hundred speakers are slated to participate, including Kutcher, Jessica Alba, Deepak Chopra, Chrissy Teigen, Bobby Flay, Maria Sharapova, and Adam Neumann.
The Edmund H. Shea Jr. Center for Entrepreneurship at BC's Carroll School of Management integrates entrepreneurial thinking into the educational and formational experience of undergraduate and graduate students throughout Boston College. Students are engaged and challenged by rigorous academic coursework, co-curricular activities, and experiential opportunities in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The Center for Social Innovation at the Boston College School of Social Work promotes “innovation from within" with the mission to foster effective, sustainable social innovations that enhance social justice.
—News and Public Affairs