Without these programs and the amazing ASSETS’ team, I would have continued to think of Cafe Pa’Lante as a dream and not a reality.
The Great Social Enterprise Pitch
Business ideas focused on People, Planet, and Profit
The Great Social Enterprise Pitch is ASSETS’ annual business plan competition for Central PA entrepreneurs with start-ups or business ideas that use a positive social and environmental impact model. Participants compete for an exciting prize package including cash, pro-bono services, and the chance to be Lancaster’s newest innovative business idea!
Visit the offical event site: LancasterPitch.com
Every July, a class of ten incredible social enterprise ideas is selected from a pool of applicants to go through a 5-week intensive training process. Halfway through, The Final Five are selected and carefully coached to prepare for the big day — and a chance to showcase their idea in front of a live audience. The Great Social Enterprise Pitch takes place in September and is a night to remember — 5 Finalists, 5 Judges, 5 Minutes. Participants compete for an exciting prize package including cash, pro-bono services, and the chance to be Lancaster’s newest innovative business idea!
How It Works
How will the social enterprise ideas be chosen?
Business ideas are ranked according to the following criteria:
• Clarity on the social or environmental need to be addressed
• Potential impact the enterprise will have on that need
• Market demand
• Financial sustainability
• Leadership
• Potential for scale
What's the process?
• APPLY FOR THE IDEA INCUBATOR: Think you’ve got a great business idea? Tell us! Apply for ASSETS’ 10-week Idea Incubator to sharpen your idea or business model. The Idea Incubator is a pre-requisite for The Pitch
• HONE YOUR IDEA THROUGH EXPERT TRAINING: Get your social enterprise in tip-top shape! If accepted into the Idea Incubator, spend 10 weeks with like-minded entrepreneurs in a collaborative environment.
• APPLY FOR THE PITCH: Think you’re ready for the main event? Apply for The Great Social Enterprise Pitch! It all comes down to this. Applications open each year at the end of June. Selections are made mid-July. There is no entry fee, and applicants can be individuals or teams. The top ten applicants engage in a 5-week Intensive that builds on the Idea Incubator and prepares you for the ultimate goal — a chance to compete in The Pitch.
• PRESENT AT THE LIVE PITCH: Get on stage and show us what you’ve got! 5 Finalists, 5 Judges, 5 minutes — it’s the Live Pitch! In mid-September, the Final Five will have five minutes to pitch their business idea to a panelist of judges and a live audience, competing for cash prizes, pro-bono services, and the chance to be Central PA’s newest innovative business idea!
Learn More
Check out the Pitch website for more info!
Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
