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The Great Social Enterprise Pitch
October 6, 2017 @ 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
$10
The Live Pitch is the grand finale of the Great Social Enterprise Pitch—the culmination of months of professional development, idea incubation, and message refining. Held in front of a live audience and a panel of judges, the top five social enterprise ideas present a five minute pitch, receiving a score based on presentation, content, potential impact, and financial sustainability. Winners receive thousands of dollars in cash and pro-bono prizes! Join us for this great event!
Please bring your ticket with you to this event. Seating is limited in the auditorium, so tickets will be required to see the final pitches live!
Doors open at 5 pm for the “Business for Good” Expo, and the Pitches will begin at 7 pm, followed by a presentation from Tyler Gage, CEO of RUNA Tea.
Tyler is an entrepreneur, author and speaker who uses wisdom from the Amazon and start-up success to bring innovation and inspiration to growing organizations.
He has spent the last 12 years studying with indigenous elders in the Amazon rainforest, venturing far from his suburban roots at the age of 20. After graduating from Brown University, Tyler turned down a Fulbright grant to start RUNA, a social enterprise that makes energizing beverages with guayusa, a rare Amazonian leaf, and improves livelihoods for 3,000 indigenous farming families in Ecuador. With over 70 employees and 15,000 stores selling RUNA beverages in the US and Canada, RUNA has grown into one of the 500 Fastest Growing Companies in the US according to Inc Magazine.
Additionally, Tyler was named a Forbes “30 Under 30 Entrepreneur” and winner of both the Big Apple Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the Specialty Food Association’s Citizen Leader of the Year Award. ABC Nightline, National Geographic and Richard Branson’s book Screw Business As Usual have all featured Tyler for his unique and powerful approach to building businesses and creating social good.
Following the presentation of the winners, we will celebrate all eleven of the Pitch ideas in the lobby of the Ware Center with appetizers, drinks, and displays from all eleven businesses.
Don’t forget that you can still vote with your dollars by contributing to the participants Crowdfunding campaigns!