2025 Impact Challenge

Passionate about social entrepreneurship? Have a vision for a startup that would jumpstart positive social change? Whether your company is alpha testing or simply a concept, we want to hear it!

The Impact Challenge is a premier pitch competition for undergraduate social entrepreneurs. Once selected, the top five finalists will receive pre-conference mentorship from top VCs and operating executives. Afterwards, up to three team members will have the opportunity to attend Business Today's 51st International Conference in full, culminating in the chance to pitch their startup to a panel of prestigious judges from all areas of the innovation economy. Past competitors have gone on to join Y-Combinator cohorts, become major VC portfolio companies, and even be recognized as Forbes 30 Under 30 founders!

Application Requirements: 

Application Deadlines:Feel free to reach out to [email protected] with any questions. Best of luck!
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* Required fields
First name*
Last name*
Email address*
Location
Phone number*
Resume

Attach resume or Paste resume

Attach resume as .pdf, .doc, .docx, .odt, .txt, or .rtf (limit 5MB) or paste resume

Paste your resume here or attach resume file

College or University*
LinkedIn Profile, portfolio, personal website, etc.
If you had all the time and resources in the world, what problem would you like to solve with this business? Describe your business, the problem it is trying to solve, and its social impact. We are particularly interested in the deliberate choices you made along the way to your final idea/product. (450 words)*
Beyond the social impact of your idea, why should an investor be excited about this venture? How do you plan to deliver worthwhile returns? (100 words)*
Strong co-founder relationships are key to a successful startup. Tell us about your team dynamic. Why are you all uniquely positioned to succeed? (100 words)*
What has been the biggest challenge in your journey as an entrepreneur so far? How did you address it and what did you learn? (100 words)*
If you have one currently, please upload a video of you or your cofounders pitching your idea/business.

NOTE: Not having a video will not negatively affect your application in any way. We use this question in order to understand applicants better.
If you have one currently, please upload your pitch deck here.

NOTE: Not having a pitch deck will not affect your application in any way.
If you have one currently, please upload your business model and/or plan here.

NOTE: Not having a business model or plan will not affect your application in any way.
Human Check*