Social Entrepreneurship SFU to host annual Social Innovation Case Competition

Social Entrepreneurship SFU (SE-SFU), a student-run club at Simon Fraser University for entrepreneurs passionate about making a difference to society’s problems, will host its annual Social Innovation Case Competition at SFU’s Surrey campus on March 23 from 12.15 to 4.30pm.

This year’s competition is busier than ever, with five extra teams added to the competition to cope with demand from 75 entrants. In teams of three, students will use their academic knowledge and entrepreneurial skills to work on innovative solutions for individual cases, working together over a 24-hour period.

Teams must survive successive rounds of elimination before presenting their plan in front of the final judging panel and audience. The panel comprises industry professionals Sarah Lubik, lecturer in marketing at the Beedie School of Business; Casey Dorin, Executive Director, Undergraduate Programs at the Beedie School of Business; Joanna Buczkowska, Managing Director, ISIS Research Centre, University of British Columbia; Kate Storey, Senior Associate at Renewal 2; and Suzanne Siemens, co-founder of Lunapads.

During the final judging deliberation, the audience will hear TEDx speaker, Taylor Conroy, founder of innovative fund raising organization Change Heroes. Conroy, regarded as a pioneer and thought leader in social entrepreneurship, will discuss his latest venture and then take questions from the audience.

Luci Pecnikova, SE-SFU vice-president, believes that having an audience involved in the event is a great way to spread awareness about social entrepreneurship and showcase the analytical skills of the students involved. “The more people who understand what a social venture is and what challenges it faces, the more people will be able to look at the world through a triple bottom line lens – hopefully one day soon, running a business and creating social change will go hand in hand,” she says.

The 2013 Social Innovation Case Competition is open to the public. Attendance is free but registration is required. Audience members will have the chance to win one of two gift baskets, provided by event sponsors Metropolis at Metrotown and SFU Nesters Market.

For more information, visit http://social-innovation-case-competition.eventbrite.com/# or the 2013 Social Innovation Case Competition Facebook page.