Innovation in Social Entrepreneurship Case Competition

On February 10^th and 11^th, 2011, Brigham Young University will host its first national graduate case competition. The first annual Innovation in Social Entrepreneurship (ISE) Case Competition will be held on the BYU campus and will host teams from The University of Michigan, George Washington University Ohio State University, and The University of Washington. As the name denotes, the competition will be centered around social entrepreneurship and each year a case will be written focusing on a problem of the chosen, target, organization for the year. This year’s target organization is Fundación Paraguaya. Fundación Paraguaya is an established organization that focuses on the eradication of poverty in Paraguay. It has operations in microfinance, education, and research and is making significant headway in providing needed assistance to the people of Paraguay who suffer in poverty.

BYU MBA Students, Jasmine Palmer and Ray Kearney visited the organization in the preceding summer and have been working with Professor Paul Godfrey in writing the case that will be used in the competition. The ISE case competition will be held in conjunction with the Peery Social Entrepreneurship Launch, consisting of a Social Entrepreneurship Film Premier, Recognition Banquet, and a TEDx Conference. The competition and launch are intended to serve a three-fold purpose: 1) Create awareness of the field of social entrepreneurship and establish a name for BYU in this space, 2) Host a venue where students and practitioners can come together to network and collaborate and 3) Provide sophisticated and professional assistance to a deserving organization.

The competition, film premiere, and TEDx conference will be open to the public and all are invited to attend. Tickets for the TEDx conference are free but seating is limited so the must be reserved in advance through tedxbyu.com. Times and locations for these events are follows:

• Social Entrepreneurship Film Premiere: Thursday, February 10, 7:30pm – 9:30pm, HBLL Auditorium
• Competition Finalists Present: Friday, February 11, 9am – 11am, W408/W410
• TEDx Conference: Friday, February 11, 1pm – 5pm, HBLL Auditorium

Ray Kearney, Class 2011, General Management

Interned at: US Embassy in Beijing China