Founder Institute launches Pitch For Progress competition to elevate impact-driven startups

The Founder Institute, the world’s premier idea-stage accelerator, has announced the launch of the Pitch For Progress competition meant to spotlight impact entrepreneurs building startups that make progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations.

In the free and open pitch competition, any entrepreneur or team building an impact-driven business with less than $1 million in funding can submit a 60-second pitch video for a chance to be invited to pitch in the Online Demo Day. Applications close on May 28.

The presentations will be judged by top venture capitalists and broadcast live to thousands of global attendees, which can help the participants gain media exposure, potential clients, and access to investors.

The top-ranked pitch from the Online Demo Day will be declared the Pitch For Progress Champion, receiving an Expo Booth at one of the world’s top conferences for impact technologists, ChangeNOW 2022.

The champion will also receive fellowships to attend any Founder Institute accelerator program worldwide, $5,000 worth of PR services, 90% discount towards HubSpot for Startups, access to the Shopify for Startups program, over 10 dedicated Office Hours with top impact VCs, and more.

Applicable businesses, as outlined in the Founder Institute’s simple For Progress impact framework, include any startup whose impact initiative is aligned with at least one of the UN’s SDGs, which call for action across all systemic issues facing humanity and offer a blueprint to build a better and more sustainable world by 2030.

“Entrepreneurs have deferred to governments, big corporates and non-profits to fix the problems of the world for far too long. Creating a truly brighter future will require the collective efforts of organizations of all kinds and sizes. There are no excuses—the time has come for every company to do their part to help make progress,” organizers say.

The Online Demo Day will take place on July 14. As online public voting will factor into the selection process, applicants can increase their chances of being selected by submitting their pitch early.

In addition to promoting the finalists across its network of 750,000+ members and followers, organizers anticipate over 3,000 attendees at the Pitch for Progress Demo Day.

The top three finalists will also be promoted and recognized as ESG startup leaders, whose impact has been validated on the global stage.

The Founder Institute says it will give strong preference to companies that also submit, in private, a pitch deck that will be requested shortly after the public video submission. Guidelines and tips will be provided to applicants for this pitch deck submission process.

“There is no shortage of problems facing humanity, but there is a shortage of passionate and ambitious founders working to solve them,” the accelerator said, calling on founders to submit their pitch and help create a better future for humanity.

Graduates of the Founder Institute are creating some of the world’s fastest growing startups, having raised over $950M in funding, and building products people love across over 200 cities worldwide.

Disclosure: This article mentions a client of an Espacio portfolio company.