2023 Fowler GSIC Welcome Guide

This guide contains information for university faculty and administrators coordinating the Fowler GSIC experience. You’ll find instructions and guidelines for hosting preliminary rounds, what to expect at the Global Finals, and a curated selection of resources to help prepare your students leading up to the Global Finals.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to the Fowler GSIC team at hello@fowlergsic.org with any questions.

Welcome to the 2023 Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge! This year’s Challenge brings us back to the University of St. Thomas. And for the first time, we will be welcoming everyone in person to Minnesota, the Land of 10,000 Lakes!

As we reflect on the events of the past two years, it is safe to say we have all had an awakening of sorts, whether as individuals or as a community. But what does it mean to be awakened? Most often an awakening represents a moment or period where we experience a paradigm shift in the way we see ourselves or the world around us.

In the context of social innovation, an awakening leads to a greater awareness of our world, its hurts, its potential, and its beauty. It calls us to action through innovation; to be active participants in our own story and that of others. Ultimately, we become awakened to the power of connections, relationships and an understanding of our shared humanity. Because it is only when innovation is driven by a deep empathy for humanity that it is most impactful.

It is a privilege to once again embark on this journey of social change with you and your students. We look forward to seeing you in Minneapolis next year!

In community,

MEET THE TEAM

The team that manages the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge consists of educators, entrepreneurs, and social innovators who are dedicated to providing a valuable experience to students, participating universities, and supporters.

Jessica Cooley

Dr. Andrew Biros Associate Director of Social Innovation University of San Diego

Senior Director University of St. Thomas

The Fowler GSIC Team

Nana Yaa Bankah Program Manager University of St. Thomas

CHALLENGE OVERVIEW

The Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge encourages students to conceive and cultivate social ventures that promote positive societal changes The Challenge supports universities with resources and connections to, in turn, support their students and their ventures with access to tools, mentorship, coaching, and ultimately the chance to secure seed funding

More than $600,000 in funding has been distributed to winners since 2011. But the Fowler GSIC is rewarding to all who participate, not just the winning teams. Providing hands-on experience, teamwork, skill-building, and network connections leading up to the finals, students are enriched with lasting social empathy that bolsters their confidence and career trajectories.

For the competition, teams select a social or environmental issue of their choice, aligned with advancing one or more of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Each team will work through the following stages:

1 | Study the landscape of the problem to discover potential gaps in existing solutions and opportunities for innovation.

2 | Create a viable solution and refine it following feedback from coaches and input from relevant stakeholders.

3 | Develop a pitch to compete for seed funding to develop, further implement, or scale the proposed solution.

The Fowler GSIC unfolds in a series of rounds. The preliminary rounds are run on campus by each participating institution. A shared set of criteria, timeline, and resources is provided but not mandated nor required in your selection of the top two teams to represent your university Each university is encouraged to adapt these guidelines to best fit its programs and campus environment

Each participating university selects up to two finalist teams who advance to represent the university at the June 2023 Global Finals

The 2023 Fowler GSIC

GLOBAL FINALS

The 2023 Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge Finals will be hosted by the University of St. Thomas from Thursday, June 15th to Saturday, June 17th in Minneapolis, MN We aim to provide opportunities for active learning, meaningful engagement, and networking opportunities for administrators and students. Because of the full in-person format of the Finals, we strongly encourage that at least one team member be present to pitch in-person in the event that the whole team is unable to attend in Minneapolis. Limited virtual pitch times will be available to accommodate teams who are unable to attend due to extenuating circumstances.

We ask that each university let us know by Friday, March 3, 2023, of their intention to participate. If you need accommodation for this date, please let us know.

All selected finalist teams are eligible for $60,000+ in seed funding, plus resources from our entrepreneurial community, such as coaching sessions, subscriptions to online resources for entrepreneurs, and other services that will accelerate the development of students’ learning.

RESOURCES FOR PARTICIPATING UNIVERSITIES

In addition to this guide, the Fowler GSIC team will provide the following to each participating institution to customize for their marketing needs In January, all University Administrators will receive access to:

A library of updated co-brandable materials, including flyers, class presentations/info-sessions, and sample social media posts to promote the Challenge on campus

Guidance for recruiting judges to support running the preliminary rounds on campus.

Pre-recorded workshop videos and resources to support students through each round of the Fowler GSIC.

Monthly webinars and individualized support on running the preliminary rounds.

Participation in the in-person Global Finals event in Minneapolis, MN for two teams and a chaperone, including meals and recommendations for affordable lodging options.

Thisisahigh-leveloverviewofthekey milestones/datesforthe2023Challenge

NOTE: Deadlines for the preliminary rounds can be adjusted to fit the needs of participating universities. This may be especially useful if a university wishes to leverage an existing campus competition to identify finalists or when universities integrate the Fowler GSIC as a curricular or cocurricular activity with existing courses or programs on their campus.

ROUND 1

FEBRUARY 2023: At each university, student teams submit their problem analysis deliverables

ROUND 2/CAMPUS FINALS

APRIL 2023: At each university, qualifying semi-finalist teams submit/pitch their proposed innovation Universities select their top two teams to go on to the Global Finals

GLOBAL FINALIST ANNOUNCEMENT & INTAKE

MAY 19, 2023: Universities share details of chosen Global Finalists with the Fowler GSIC team

MAY 26, 2023: Finalist Teams complete intake forms, attend an orientation and a pitch coaching session

June 5, 2023: Global Finalists submit their recorded pitches and slide decks to the Fowler GSIC Team and complete their intake form.

INNOVATION WEEK & AWARDS CEREMONY

JUNE 15-17, 2023: Innovation Week kicks off with a welcome reception on Thursday, June 15 in Minneapolis. Global Finalists pitch their innovations and top shortlisted teams selected for additional pitching to allocate seed funding Students and Administrators will also have the opportunity to participate in social enterprise site visits, workshops, and networking events Challenge winners announced at the Awards Ceremony

PRELIMINARY ROUNDS & PREP

seed funding.

JUNE 18, 2023: Social Activities and Free time. Programming for teams attending in Minneapolis, including networking and visits to local attractions.

Please note: As the Fowler GSIC is a not-for-profit initiative, we aim to keep costs as low as possible for students and participating universities. However, at this time, we are not able to sponsor student trips to the Global Finals. Therefore, it is the students’ or participating universities’ responsibility to fund travel costs to the Finals. We will provide information for budget-friendly lodging options in the Global Finalist Guide to be distributed in the spring.

Preliminary Rounds

Each participating university will conduct the preliminary rounds on their campus to select the finalist teams that will compete at the Global Finals. This section outlines the recommended submission criteria, participation requirements, and judging rubric. In the preliminary rounds, we suggest evaluating teams in two rounds/phases:

Analyzing the Problem & Proposing a Solution

SUBMISSION CRITERIA & JUDGING RUBRICS Discussed on Pages 13, 14 & 15

Round 1: Analyze the Problem

A | What SDG(s) does your problem fall under?

B | What is the problem you are seeking to address? What is your specific focus area within this problem space? Consider this question globally, but focus your attention on the local impact of your problem For instance, if you are addressing SDG 4-Quality Education, you could focus on access to quality preschool in high poverty communities in Minneapolis or connecting girls to STEM

A | What major initiatives or organizations already exist that seek to impact the problem you are seeking to address? (commercial ventures/nonprofits/government agencies)? Get specific – the goal is to have a thorough understanding of the current players.

B | What is missing from the solutions landscape that has created a gap towards solving the problem? How do these solutions work? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Again, focusing on the local gap is important - because it is the one you have the best chance of impacting first.

1. The Problem Landscape - Introduce the problem you’ve chosen to address and why it matters

2. The Solution Landscape - Explore the current solutions available in your problem area

Preliminary Rounds

THE SUGGESTED DELIVERABLES FOR ROUND 2 INCLUDE:

VIDEO: Students submit a 10-minute pitch/video about their social innovation.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE: A completed Social Business Model Canvas to help students capture and communicate their business model Swarthmore College has a phenomenal resource that explains the elements of the Canvas, including a digital template for students Note: While students will be judged on their 10-minute pitch, they should use the canvas to help inform it

For the Round 2 judging rubric, resources and sample submissions, please visit www.fowlergsic.org/students

HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN:

Students learn about design thinking and a human-centered design approach to solving social problems based on understanding their customers’ problems through empathy and gathering customer insight

A recording of the lab, as presented at University of San Diego by Moves the Needle Social Impact Program Co-Directors Heather Hiscox and Amelia Klawon can be found here.

A 2-minute video on human-centered design by IDEO.org can be found here.

BUSINESS MODEL DESIGN:

Students master tools and receive guidance on describing how a venture creates, delivers, and captures value and social impact for its customers or beneficiaries. A Social Innovation coach explains the key ingredients of a social and commercial business model. Then students have an opportunity to work on their idea with individual coaches.

A recording of the lab, as presented at University of San Diego by Mission Edge CEO Ken Davenport and Program Director Alicia Quinn can be found here A shorter video describing the the canvas can be found here

Get your students connected and collaborating with this online Social Business Model Canvas template on Mural.

TESTING BUSINESS ASSUMPTIONS:

Students work with coaches to challenge their assumptions about the problem they’re solving and the solution they are proposing, in addition to identifying risky business assumptions. Students leave with practical ways to test these assumptions.

The presentation recording can be found here and slides for Idea Lab 6, regarding Testing Business Assumptions, can be found here

FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY:

Deeper and wider impact and financial sustainability go hand in hand for successful ventures. Students will work in their teams and with coaches to examine and enhance the financial sustainability and refine their written plan.

You may also reference or show this video of Ashok Kamal, CEO of Tech Coast Angels, and his tips for young social enterpreneurs

Participating Universities

Since its inception, more than 60 institutions have participated in the Fowler GSIC, connecting campuses from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia in a shared pursuit of a better world.

For a complete list of this year’s participants, visit: https://www.fowlergsic.org/participatinguniversities

Visit the links below for information on creating a media toolkit to help bring publicity to your global innovation.

FGSIC Marketing Assets Press Release Template

Eligibility

The competition is open to ventures at any stage, as long as the idea is student-led.

During Pitch Days, teams will pitch using a slide deck and answer questions from a panel of expert judges. Each team will be assigned a 30-minute pitch block on either day and can expect the following in their allotted time:

In-person 10-minute pitch (At least one team member must be present to pitch in-person if other members are unable to travel to Minneapolis) 15 minutes Q&A and feedback

The order, content, and design of slides are up to each team’s discretion, but we recommend following the best practices for presentations and avoiding too much text and content on each slide. We also recommend avoiding the use of too many slides. Successful pitches generally have between ten and twenty slides, although more slides may be appropriate in some cases.

The Top 8 from the first round of Pitch Days will be invited to present their pitches again A new set of judges will review their pitches to determine the final winner(s) of the seed funding prize pool of $65,000+

Additional guidance for Finalist teams will be available in May 2023.

WHAT WILL THE JUDGES LOOK FOR?

WITH END-USERS OR BENEFICIARIES

Successful pitches can demonstrate things such as tests run, design approaches utilized, assumptions tested, and lessons learned (about the customer, market, problem, or solution) Sharing these learnings demonstrates team flexibility, the ability to iterate, and an openness to improvements

Talking about an assumption that the team tested that ended up not being validated is not a sign of weakness but rather a sign of team strength.

NANCIAL ION

evenue p costs, eeded to get e a sustained ny other nnovation is re many r customer ods, etc. The e landscape ere the ossibilities

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for partnerships for collective success. They should consider potential obstacles, risks, or threats that might affect the innovation Successful pitches will show how social innovation fits in the landscape of other solutions addressing similar challenges

TEAM CAPACITY AND PARTNERSHIPS

Pitches might include an overview of current resources, partnerships, support, how each team member does or will contribute to the social innovation and goals, and their commitment and capacity to refine further or implement the idea

Award Ceremony

P TIPS FOR STUDENTS

Start with a hook for the audience (a brief story, quote, or question) and focus on the problem, the idea, the team, and the plan The financial ask does not need to be included Practice several times to be sure the pitch sounds authentic, inspiring, and confident Watch examples from prior years at this link: http://bit ly/FGSICPitchSamples

Building Bonds

Finalist teams are invited to remain in Minneapolis for optional programming on June 18, 2023. Please plan your accommodations accordingly.

P CONNECTING AND NETWORKING

perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive, and unconditional license to record, edit, modify, reproduce, copy, transmit, livestream, telecast, publish, post, broadcast, display, adapt and/or use or reuse your submitted venture proposal, your pitch, and any materials submitted or prepared for use in the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge, your name, image, voice, likeness, statements, background and biographical information in any and all media (including but not limited to print, electronic, video, digital, radio, television, internet, etc.) for publicity, promotion, advertising, fundraising, administrative, academic or educational purposes. To the extent any monies are earned as a result of the license granted, the monies shall be used to defray the costs of future Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge competitions or other such initiatives undertaken by the University of San Diego and the University of St Thomas.

By entering the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge, you acknowledge and certify that you own all of the content included in your submitted plan or otherwise have obtained any required permissions to use such content and that your submitted venture proposal does not include any content (e g trademarks, company names, photos, music, works of art, or images) that infringes or violates the rights of any third party.

submitted in connection with the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge.

You authorize the University of St Thomas and those acting pursuant to its authority to record, broadcast, and distribute via any means (e g print, radio, television, internet, photograph, video, audio, digital, or otherwise) your plan and your participation in the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge, and to use your name, photograph or likeness, as well as your testimonials, quotes, comments, or biography for publicity, promotion, advertising, fundraising, administrative, academic or educational purposes. Any such recordings or broadcasts shall be the property of the University of St Thomas

You release the University, sponsors, and those acting pursuant to their authority from liability from any and all claims arising out of or relating in any way to your participation in the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge.

Terms and Conditions

and/or is not received by the University of St. Thomas by the applicable deadline and/or is not viewable online for any reason will be rejected automatically and will not be considered for advancement/prizes.

AWARD DISTRIBUTION

Prizes may be awarded directly to the student who submitted the application, to a business organization created as a result of the student project, or to a business organization led by a current eligible student who participates in the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge (provided that the student is an officer or director of the organization and, in the case of a forprofit organization, is a majority owner, or is part of a team of eligible students who collectively are the majority owners)

The Fowler GSIC Team reserves the right in its sole discretion to distribute the prize money as a lump-sum or in tranches and may require the winning teams to meet specific milestones within pre-specified time limits and provide periodic progress reports as qualifying conditions for disbursing the initial or the subsequent tranches of the prize money

If the destination country or the individuals or entities concerned for the prize money are on the OFAC list, the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship may need to withhold or cancel the prize award to comply with the US government regulations It will be the responsibility of each team participating in the Fowler GSIC to check this list before deciding to participate in the challenge

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) of the US Department of the Treasury administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions based on US foreign policy and national security goals against targeted foreign countries and regimes, terrorists, international narcotics traffickers, those engaged in activities related to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and other threats to the national security, foreign policy or economy of the United States

AWARD OBLIGATION

Monetary Prizes are designated as “Seed Funding” for the concerned venture proposal and must be spent in direct support of the project and adhere as closely as possible to the final written plan