If you recognize there is a need for improving social, economic, political, technological, and environmental conditions of mankind, societies and the planet and have a solution, this business pitch competition welcomes you.

Through the generous support and collaboration of the Beba Foundation and Claro Enterprise Solutions, Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies welcomes students and alumni to join The Greater Good Challenge. 

OTHER REASONS TO PARTICIPATE

• Launch your start-up
• Build a community of ideas
• Receive business coaching from industry experts
• Chance to win a substantial seed money investment
• Subsequent mentorship for winners

WHO QUALIFIES? 

The Challenge is open to all SPS students and alumni.

HOW BIG CAN YOUR TEAM BE?

Teams can comprise up to 5 individuals. The number of presenters at the competition is limited to 2 students/alumni per team.

HOW CAN I ENTER THE CHALLENGE?

Visit the platform’s website to learn how you can create a team or join an existing one.

https://columbiaspscdl.agorize.com/greatergoodchallenge

AWARDS

1st Place – $14,000

2nd Place – $7,000

3rd Place – $3,000

Audience Pick – $1,000

Claro Enterprise Solutions Award*: $5,000

CHALLENGE CATEGORIES

There are five main categories have been chosen to inspire SPS students to submit their best venture proposals:

• Sustainability
• Technology
• Healthcare & Wellness
• Supply Chain, Logistics & Coordination
• Social Enterprise

JUDGES

Zontee Hou

Zontee Hou is a passionate advisor and teacher of communications. She’s the founder of digital agency Media Volery and head of strategy for the respected consultancy, Convince & Convert, founded by Jay Baer.

She has developed digital marketing strategies for brands including the IMF, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Allstate Insurance, Caesars Entertainment, and Indiana University. Zontee is one of LinkedIn’s top 16 marketers to follow in 2021, TopRank’s top 50 most influential content marketers, and her work has garnered multiple awards including several PR News Platinum Awards and a Forrester Groundswell Award.

In addition, Zontee’s years of experience as a faculty lecturer at Columbia University and adjunct lecturer at the City College of New York—CUNY’s flagship college—inform her unique ability to draw connections between marketing methodology and business goals.

Zontee received her Master of Science in Strategic Communication from Columbia University and her Bachelor of Science in both Marketing and International Business from NYU Stern. She is based in New York City, where she lives with her husband and an ever-growing assortment of cooking accoutrements.

Grant Son

Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Sports Management

Grant Son is a full-time faculty member at Columbia University, teaching graduate-level courses in the discipline of Sports Management and Entrepreneurship.

Prior to joining the faculty at Columbia in January 2018, Son taught Entrepreneurship and Sports Marketing courses at Columbia Business School and the Yale School of Management. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia Business School. Son’s applied research includes serving as co-author of a Harvard Business School case study on R/GA and the LA Dodgers on the launch of the Global Sports Venture Studio.

In addition, Son serves as CEO of Greater Good Ventures, a firm he founded in 2009 to serve nonprofits, charities and academic institutions; and he expanded to include startups, growth ventures and established corporations. Significant engagements include Cornell University, HockeyTech, Sports195 and Sequel Studios.

As CEO, Son grew a previous startup into a top-10 sports website acquired by ESPN. His professional experience includes over 30 years of marketing, e-commerce and digital media work at iconic brands including the NFL, Sports Illustrated and CBS, where he has acquired over 70 million paid subscribers, generated sales revenue of over $4.2 billion and managed a P&L of $230 million.

Son is an avid athlete, coach and sports fan. He has over 20 years of experience coaching soccer and tennis, runs three miles a day and has attended every major sporting event, including six Super Bowls, World Cup Soccer, the World Series, the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Finals, championship boxing and two Olympics.

Shari Foos, MA, MFT; MS, NM

Shari Foos is a Marriage and Family Therapist and the creator of The Narrative Method. Part of the Human Connection Movement, TNM creates programs, products and experiences that use stories to deeply connect people to themselves and others. Foos also co-founded Bridge, (1999), a free humanities program for low-income adults. She received a M.S. in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University and a M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles, where she is an adjunct professor.

As a sought-after expert on the subjects of relationships and meaningful connection, Foos’ writing and commentary have appeared in a range of online and print publications, including Real Simple, Huffington Post, Women’s Health, KBLA, Fatherly, Thrive Global, The LA Weekly, Sparks & Honey Culture Briefings and Bustle. Ms. Foos serves on the board of the City Kids Foundation and is the recipient of the New Directions for Veterans Community Hero Award (2015) and The Antioch University Los Angeles Lifetime Achievement Award (2016).

Giri Devanue

Giri Devanur is CEO of ReAlpha Tech Corp.

Mr. Devanur served as the President and CEO of Ameri100 Inc., since its inception in November 2013. In 4 years, he scaled Ameri from $0 to $50M in revenue and completed the IPO on Nasdaq in under 4 years. He was awarded the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year in 2017. He has also authored a book titled “Nothing to Nasdaq”.

Mr. Devanur is a seasoned CEO who has raised seed capital, venture capital and private equity from global institutions. He has more than 25 years of experience in the information technology industry. In 2010, he founded WinHire Inc., an innovative company that builds software products through technology and human capital management experts and combines them with professional services. Mr. Devanur served as WinHire’s President and CEO. He also co-founded Ivega Corporation in 1997, an international niche IT consulting company with special focus on financial services. Ivega merged with TCG in 2004, creating a 1,000+ person focused differentiator in the IT consulting space.

Mr. Devanur holds an M.S. in Technology Management from Columbia University and a B.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of Mysore, India. He has attended Executive Education programs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Law School. The Board believes that his qualifications to serve on the Board include his substantial experience in the information technology industry and his prior experience as a CEO.

If you have any questions, please email careerdesignlab@columbia.edu.

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