Chinyeh Hostler Social Venture: H2O Impact Challenge
What is the SDSU Chinyeh Hostler Social Venture: Impact of H2O Challenge?
- A pitch competition held annually at SDSU
- Open to SDSU undergraduate students and graduate students AND other Southern California colleges and universities by invitation
- The pitch is based on identifying a significant problem related to the impact of H2O on our region and presenting an innovative solution resulting in a social venture
- $15,000 Grand Prize
- Teams will compete for $40,000 in prizes
- Top three finalist from SDSU will win $1K each
What is a social venture?
The distinguishing characteristic of the social venture versus the commercial venture is the primacy of their objective to solve social problems and provide social benefits. The social venture may generate profits, but that is not its focus. Rather, profits are a possible means to achieve sustainability in providing a social benefit. The entity can be for-profit, non-profit or a hybrid. The problems addressed by social ventures cover a range of social issues, including poverty, inequality, education, the environment, and economic development. In the case of our Chinyeh Hostler Social Venture Challenge, we are seeking to solve social issues related to the impact of H2O on our region and beyond.
What topics are covered by the theme “Impact of H2O”?
The goal of the Chinyeh Hostler Social Venture Challenge is to inspire students to identify innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges in society directly impacting our Southern California region.
The theme this year is “Impact of H2O”. We are excited to encourage our students to identify large problems related to water and present innovative solutions that will have a lasting impact on the Southern California region and beyond resulting in a social venture.
The impact of water and the significant challenges associated with water inspire a variety of important problems. Water impacts so many aspects of our lives and the problems caused from the impact of water (too much, too little, too expensive, etc) vary depending on geography, population impact and generationally as an example. The solutions that are comprehended can work to change water use behavior, lower water use, recapture water, clean the water and so much more.
Please see a few examples to illustrate the wide range of possible problems.
Students are in no way limited to the list below.
- Water Conservation Technologies: Develop innovative technologies and solutions that help residents and businesses
in Southern California conserve water.
- Water Quality Improvement: Create ventures that address water pollution and improve water quality in the region.
- Drought-Resilient Agriculture: Work on solutions to support agriculture in times of drought.
- Water Recycling and Reuse: Explore opportunities for recycling and reusing water in various sectors, including
industrial, agricultural, and residential.
- Community Education and Engagement: Develop ventures that focus on educating and engaging communities in Southern California
about water conservation and sustainability.
- Community-Based Water Management: Create platforms or organizations that empower local communities to actively participate
in water management.
- Economic and Social Equity: Address water-related disparities in disadvantaged communities, ensuring that all
residents have access to clean and affordable water.
- Water-Conserving Agriculture: Support the agricultural sector in adopting practices that reduce water usage while
maintaining productivity.
- Emergency Water Supply Solutions: Develop ventures that provide communities with emergency water supply solutions in times of natural disasters or water infrastructure failures.
Application Cycle: October 1st - December 18th