The Greater Good Challenge

The Beba Innovation and Entrepreneurship Foundation was founded in 2018 by Prof. Ali Beba and Umran Beba with a mission to create passion, ignite enthusiasm and to prepare mindsets of innovative youth and female entrepreneurs. The key pillars to achieve this were identified as implementing continuous educational and training activities, mentorship and outreach programs. Our goal is to assist innovative youth and aspiring women entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into applications, commercial products and/or services for global markets. Our motto is "make it happen!" You can reach us at www.bebafoundation.org and info [[at]] bebafoundation [[dot]] org.

• Solving World Problems

• Launch Your Startup

• Build a Community of Ideas

• Receive Business Coaching

• $18,500 in Seed Money

  • 1st Prize: $10,000
  • 2nd Prize: $5,000
  • 3rd Prize: $2,500
  • 4th Price (Audience’s Pick): $1,000

• Sustainability

• Health Technology 

• Supply Chain, Logistics & Coordination

• July 6 -Sept 18: Competition submissions

• Sept 22: First-round online-submission screening 

• Sept 23-25: Second-round of short-interviews 

• Sept 25: Announce the finalists

• Sept 28-Oct 8: Business plan mentorship + Communication coaching

• Oct 5-8: Competition check-in with CDL

• Oct 9: Competition 

• Pitch for 3 minutes

• Q&A with Judges for 2 minutes

1. Value Created by the New Product or Service

2. Attractiveness of the Market Opportunity

3. Competitive Advantage of the Proposed Venture

4. Operational and Technological Viability

5. Capital Requirements and Financial Forecast

6. Presentation delivery: tone, speed, articulation, engagement

Who Qualifies? 

Eligibility: 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 competition?

Fill out a short application following the guidelines as explained in the instructional video How to Craft a Business Plan for the Greater Good Challenge below.

For any questions, please contact the Career Design Lab at careerdesignlab [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu.

Are you new to business competition? Check out this video from the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center, How to Create A Business Pitch Plan.

*Disclaimer: The Career Design Lab (CDL) doesn’t endorse non-government websites, companies, or applications. The CDL doesn’t attest to the accuracy of information provided by third-parties and other linked sites.

• Only static PowerPoint slides are permitted. No animations or 'movement' of any description are allowed. The slides are to be presented from the beginning of the oration.
• Maximum 2 speakers per team are allowed.
• No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.
• No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
• Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.
• Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs).
• Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through either movement or speech.
• The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.