Click Here To Submit A Social Enterprise Pitch & Register For The Conference
Social Enterprise Pitch
Social enterprise pitch sessions are filled to capacity, and abstracts are no longer being accepted.
The 2013 Global Health & Innovation Conference will include special sessions where selected participants will present their new idea in the format of a 5-minute social enterprise pitch. Following the pitch, there is a 5-minute period for questions and answers, as well as feedback from the audience. This will provide participants with an opportunity to formulate and present their idea, collaborate with others interested in their idea, and receive feedback and ideas from other conference participants. Professionals and students are eligible to submit a social enterprise pitch.
Social Enterprise Pitch Categories
The social enterprise pitch should be program-focused and can be targeted for any country or countries worldwide.
- Global Health
- NGOs and Community-Based Programs
- Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Development
- Education
- Energy
- Environment
- Technology
Instructions For Submitting Social Enterprise Pitch Abstracts
What is a Social Enterprise Pitch?
The social enterprise pitch session at the Global Health & Innovation Conference is a unique opportunity for the speakers to present their new idea in the format of a 5-minute pitch. All of the presentations are ideas that are being developed, meaning that the ideas are in the brainstorming, early development, or early implementation stage. Following each presenter’s 5-minute pitch, there is a 5-minute period for questions, answers, and feedback from the audience. This format provides presenters with an opportunity to formulate their idea, collaborate with others interested in their idea, and receive feedback and ideas. The goal is a dynamic session in which participants and speakers will network and collaborate about the innovative ideas, and the hope is that we will see many of these ideas effectively implemented in the future.
How to Submit an Abstract
Submit an abstract on the Conference Registration Page at the time that you register to attend the conference. When you submit your registration form and payment to attend the conference, your social enterprise pitch abstract will be automatically submitted to Unite For Sight for review. You must submit your abstract at the same time that you submit your conference registration payment.
If your registration and payment do not transmit properly, please review the page to be sure that you have filled in all of the required fields on the form.
Word Limit
Abstracts must be no longer than 250 words. Longer abstracts will not be reviewed and will be automatically rejected.
Submission Topics
We welcome submissions pertaining to all fields relevant to global health, international development, and social entrepreneurship. You may see the 2011 social enterprise pitches at http://www.uniteforsight.org/conference/speakers-2011#pitches, and you may see the 2012 social enterprise pitches at http://www.uniteforsight.org/conference/speakers-2012-sorted#pitches
Conference Registration is Required
Submitting an abstract represents a commitment to attend the 2013 Global Health & Innovation Conference, irrespective of acceptance of an abstract. The opportunity to submit an abstract for consideration is available only to those who plan to attend the conference for educational and networking purposes, and not to those who wish to attend exclusively for the opportunity to present. Therefore, all persons submitting an abstract must register and submit payment to attend the conference at the time that they submit the abstract.
Submission Format
The 250-word abstract must be formatted to include problem, solution, innovation, based in evidence, expected impact, management and financing, and stage of idea.
- Problem: <enter your text here>
- Solution: <enter your text here>
- Innovation: <enter your text here>
- Based in Evidence: <enter your text here>
- What is the Expected Impact? <enter your text here>
- Management and Financing: <enter your text here>
- Describe Stage of Idea: <enter your text here>
Selection Criteria
Students and professionals are eligible to submit an abstract for presentation. The social enterprise pitch should include the details described below. The pitch will be evaluated based on the level of innovation, the expected impact and description of metrics, and the details that indicate that it is evidence-based and will be effective.
The abstract will be reviewed according to the following criteria:
- Problem: Describe the problem that you are trying to solve.
- Solution: What is your proposed innovative solution? Why is it important? How will it be implemented in the field?
- Innovation: How is the idea new and innovative?
- Based in Evidence: How is your solution evidence-based? Why will it work? This is very important criteria for evaluation. We encourage you to read this article about evidence-based program design: http://www.uniteforsight.org/public-health-management/evidence-based-programs
- What is the Expected Impact? What will be the outcomes, and what metrics will be used to measure the outcomes? This is the most important criteria for evaluation. In order to be accepted for presentation, the pitch must discuss the expected outcomes and how these outcomes will be measured. To help ensure that you effectively identify and discuss outcomes (and not outputs), please read about the critical difference between outputs and outcomes: http://www.uniteforsight.org/global-health-university/outcomes
- Management and Financing: Who will lead the social enterprise? What are the proposed or anticipated funding sources or revenues? The abstract submitter must be directly involved with the leadership or management of the program or organization.
- Describe Stage of Idea: Are you in the brainstorming stage, early development, or early implementation stage? What is your progress? How much funding, if any, has been raised? When was the idea initially developed? Ideas in the brainstorming, early development, and early implementation stage will be considered equally.
- Quality: The submission must be well-written and demonstrate thought and attention to detail. Avoid jargon and be sure that your audience understands exactly what you are proposing.
Co-authors and Co-founders
The conference participant who will be in attendance and presenting the pitch must submit the abstract under their name. If both authors will be in attendance, then either of you may submit the pitch, but the pitch must be submitted only once for consideration. The author submitting the pitch must be the presenter at the conference, and this author will also receive all communication from Unite For Sight. Other authors are encouraged to attend the conference, but the other authors may not present the pitch at the conference.
Abstract Review and Selection
Social enterprise pitches are accepted on a rolling application deadline. The first qualified submissions will be accepted. We encourage you to submit your social enterprise pitch as soon as you decide that you would like to present. Submitters will be notified about the decision on their abstract within approximately 4-6 weeks from submission.
Abstract Acceptance, Next Steps, and Presentations
If my social enterprise pitch is accepted for oral presentation, what are the next steps?
- The abstract author will be notified that their abstract has been reviewed and accepted for presentation at the conference.
- The author will be required to submit social enterprise pitch presenter agreement in order to confirm their intent to give an oral presentation at the conference.
- Accepted presenters must adhere to deadlines and guidelines, and they must promptly respond to communication.
What should be included in the social enterprise pitch presentation?
If you are accepted to present at the conference, you should include all of the important items in your abstract: problem, solution, innovation, evidence-base, impact, management and financing as well as the stage of your idea. When you are creating and practicing your presentation, you should consider what you hope to learn from the experience. What type of ideas/plans and obstacles are you currently working through? What type of people do you hope to connect with at the conference and during your session? The answers to these questions may help you to highlight certain aspect of your pitch and de-emphasize others.
The most effective presentations will explain your innovation in a way that is immediately understood by the audience. By the end of the presentation, the audience should understand why the idea is needed, how the idea will be implemented, and how the impact will occur. In general, it is best to avoid using jargon or abstract ideas. Instead, the pitch should provide concrete examples and real-life stories to illustrate the plan. While you will have 5 minutes for your presentation, the more succinctly you are able to communicate your idea, the better. Therefore, you should practice your social enterprise pitch in advance to ensure that it is no more than 5 minutes. A bell will ring to conclude your presentation at 5 minutes.
Social Enterprise Consulting
How can I coordinate advice on my social enterprise or global health idea before or after the conference?
You may be interested in the Social Enterprise Consulting Lab.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please email Rachel Turkel at rturkel@uniteforsight.org