There are 19 business ideas with social and environmental impact that will compete for the prize pool up for grabs in the global finals of the Global Social Venture Competition, the first international competition conceived and promoted by the Haas School of Business of the University of California Berkeley, which will be held in Milan from 11 to 13 April organized by ALTIS Catholic University.
Selected by prestigious business schools worldwide among 550 proposals collected, the finalists come from South Korea, Philippines, France, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Lebanon, Senegal, Sweden, Uganda, USA, Thailand, Turkey and propose innovative solutions for respond to social and environmental problems that are particularly felt today such as the reuse of waste, health prevention, social inclusion and the use of new technologies to satisfy social needs.
The two Italian finalists, selected from the 65 business ideas collected this year by ALTIS for the Italian Round, are Helperbit – a platform that uses the analytical potential of GIS and blockchain technology to allow peer-to-peer donations peer" in cryptocurrency, reducing intermediaries, tracing economic flows and monitoring their use to ensure transparency and effectiveness in aid - and mEryLo' - an innovative, compact and easy-to-use device that uses red blood cells as vectors for chemotherapy drugs (μEryLō – μicro Erythrocyte Lōading) to make the therapy more effective and tolerable for patients.
To evaluate the teams, an international jury of personalities from the startup ecosystem, business angels, social venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, incubator managers, accelerators, academics, such as Julia W. Sze, Impact Investment Strategy Advisor of Arabella Advisors, Jeremy Nicholls, CEO of Social Value International and Social Value UK, Luciano Balbo, Founder of Oltreventure, and Bill Barber, Innovation Consultant at Intesa Sanpaolo and President and co-founder of INcube srl.
«In addition to offering aspiring or neo-impact entrepreneurs a concrete opportunity to develop their business ideas, thanks to the prizes up for grabs and the possibility of meeting potential partners and investors, the world finals represent an important opportunity for debate and discussion on potential of a rapidly growing sector which is increasingly finding fertile ground especially among young people» explains Andrea Mezzadri, Project Manager of GSVC Italy.
«We are thrilled that the 550th edition of the GSVC World Finals is hosted by our partner ALTIS Università Cattolica, in Milan. This year, over 16 new social venture ideas from our XNUMX partners in Asia, Africa, Europe and America competed for the top spots in the World Finals. We are very curious about their business solutions to address today's societal challenges,” said Jill Erbland, GSVC Program Director, Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley.
On April 12 and 13, the world finals will open their doors to the public. It begins on 12 April, with the round table "Promoting startup-friendly ecosystems", hosted by the Lombardy Region, the initiative's main partner, at the Gaber Auditorium, Palazzo Pirelli.
Exponents of the startup ecosystem, investors and public administration will discuss to find innovative and effective solutions in favor of the creation and development of new businesses. Speakers: Cristina Tajani, Councilor for Labor Policies of the Municipality of Milan; Massimiano Tellini, Head of Circular Economy project of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group; Julia W. Sze, Impact Investment Strategy Advisor at Arabella Advisors; Matteo Pedrini, Professor of Corporate Strategy at the Catholic University and Deputy Director of ALTIS; Alessandro Bruni, Business Innovation Specialist at Naima; Duncan Onyango, East Africa Director of Acumen Fund. The new Councilor for Productive Activities of the Lombardy Region will open the works. The roundtable will be moderated by Jennifer Walske, Social Impact Fellow, Haas School of Business at the University of California Berkeley.
«With this event, which opens the activities of the partnership with the ALTIS Catholic University and the GSVC, we wish to communicate the commitment of the Lombardy Region to stimulate innovation and make Milan and Lombardy a favorable environment for the birth and development of new businesses with a social impact» says the president of the Lombardy Region, Attilio Fontana.
The morning of 13 April will be dedicated to pitches and an exhibition in the cloisters of the Catholic University (Largo Gemelli) where the competing teams will present their business ideas and tell their story. The afternoon, which will culminate with the awarding of the winning ideas of this edition of GSVC, will see keynote speeches by Massimiliano Magrini, Founder and Managing partner of United Ventures - who will give an insight into the world of Italian venture capitalists - and Matteo Alessi, Member of the Board of Directors and COO Europe and North America of the entrepreneurial family of the same name - who will talk about his experience as an entrepreneur and the integration of the creation of shared value in strategic choices -, moderated by Professor Mario Molteni, CEO of the E4Impact Foundation, who for years forma impact entrepreneur in sub-Saharan Africa.
In addition to the Lombardy Region, Intesa Sanpaolo, historical partner of GSVC Italy, supports the event together with Impact Hub Milano, Prospera and Réseau Entreprendre Lombardia, which once again confirm their commitment to responsible youth entrepreneurship on this occasion.
“It will be an interesting opportunity to get to know the ideas of brilliant young people who have developed innovative projects with a high chance of success in the global economy,” says Vito Moramarco, Director of ALTIS.
