WDI, along with the
World Resources Institute and
Acumen Fund, is sponsoring a case writing competition with the hope of engaging students and faculty on campuses all over the world in the emerging field of social ventures.
Case submissions must be on a social venture (e.g., VisionSpring) or a relevant base of the pyramid topic (e.g., the role of subsidies in social ventures). A social venture is broadly defined as a business enterprise that targets a poor population to sell and/or source its goods or services. The venture must have a specific social objective and seek long-term self-financing. It may be a for-profit or nonprofit organization.
Moses Lee, one of the organizers of the competition and a research associate with WDI’s Educational Outreach initiative, said he is often asked by students how they can become involved in the base of the pyramid community. Unfortunately, he said, there are not many opportunities on most college campuses, spurring the idea for the writing contest.
“The purpose of this competition is to engage students in writing high-impact case studies with their professors to help further the overall base of the pyramid movement,” Lee said. “The hope is that these cases will be used to better inform the sponsoring organizations, help academics teach this material to future leaders, and ultimately, make a tremendous social impact on the ground.”
To make the competition meaningful and relevant to the field, the case competition will center on key questions that the three sponsoring organizations are currently wrestling with:
- Where can markets work best to address issues of poverty?
- What business models and business innovations are effective in developing scalable businesses serving low-income markets in the developing world?
- What are the consumer behaviors – in terms of spending and decision-making – that define market opportunities?
- How can market-based approaches to poverty alleviation achieve their goals while also protecting natural resources and preventing environmental degradation?
- How can the public and/or private sector best support the development of businesses serving the poor?
The deadline to turn in an “Intention to compete” form is Jan. 15, 2010. Cases are due April 30, 2010 and the winners will be announced on June 1, 2010. Forms and cases can be turned in prior to the deadlines.
The first place winner will be awarded $1,000. Second place is $500, third is $250, and fourth and fifth winners will each receive $100. In addition, winners will be interviewed and profiled on NextBillion.net and will receive an autographed copy of the book “The Blue Sweater” by Acumen Fund Founder and CEO Jacqueline Novogratz.
“We’re pleased to be a sponsor of this competition because it combines two of WDI’s key activities – research at the base of the pyramid and case writing,” said WDI Executive Director Robert Kennedy.
Contest judges include: Kennedy; Brian Trelstad, chief investment officer, Acumen Fund; Virginia Barreiro, New Ventures global director, World Resources Institute.