Skandalaris Center

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We believe that Washington University students, scholars, and alumni have the knowledge and skills to address the world’s most pressing problems. Along with that ability, they believe entrepreneurs succeed because of the opportunities including education, mentoring, and access to capital, and that entrepreneurs have an obligation to give back in appreciation of their opportunities. 

The goals of the Global Impact Award are to:

    • Support teams whose inventions, products, ideas, and business models have a broad and lasting impact on society
    • Develop a community and knowledge that helps future awardees and others engage in high impact entrepreneurial activity
    • Promote collaboration that supports understanding about the practical application of high impact approaches
    • Develop entrepreneurs through financial and mentoring support who find solutions to the world’s most intractable problems
    • Identify entrepreneurs who are committed to giving back to help others

More on the goals of the award can be found here.

ELIGIBILITY

In order to be eligible to receive the award, the founding team and venture are expected to meet certain criteria.

Team Member Requirements:

The founding team must include one or more of the following:

    • a current Washington University in St. Louis enrolled undergraduate, graduate or professional student
    • a resident
    • a postdoctoral researcher
    • an alumnus who has graduated within ten years of submitting their application for the award.

The Washington University-affiliated team members must have a meaningful role in the venture at the time of its application for the award.

Venture Requirements:

    • The venture must have incurred less than million in total debt, equity, grant or prize funding at the time of application.
    • The venture must have completed a proof of concept.
    • The venture may be a commercial or hybrid for-profit/nonprofit legal entity, and is expected to have high impact and be both sustainable and scalable.
    • The venture may be based on faculty inventions or IP disclosures, provided the venture includes at least one Washington University-affiliated team member who meets the above requirements and holds meaningful (no less than 5%, including options) equity participation in the venture.

AWARD

The Award Committee has full discretion to make one award or split the award as they deem appropriate. In the event no awardee is selected in a given year, it is possible two awardees could be named the following year. Award winners will receive:

    • Continued mentoring and connections to people or organizations that accelerate venture launch, leading to scalability and sustainability
    • Up to $50,000 cash award

Deliverables

To Apply:

  1. Post your idea on IdeaBounce® using this link
  2. Submit an application form (applications are currently closed)

  3. Complete and return the Opportunity Summary by midnight on Monday, October 28th (download the template)

Additional deliverables if selected as a finalist (announced in December 2019):

  1. Ten-Page Final Submission

  2. Team Statement of Commitment 

  3. Final Presentation PowerPoint

  4. Final Presentation in St. Louis, MO on April 15, 2020

All completed deliverables must be sent via email to GIA@wustl.edu by midnight on their respective due dates.