UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State students are invited to compete in an international business idea competition that asks participants what they would like the world to look like after the end of the coronavirus pandemic.
Each year the Bengis Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation organizes an idea competition centered around a different theme. The Center is a part of Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheba, Israel. Last year, Penn State student Divya Rustagi and her BGU teammates took third place in the competition.
This year’s competition, called the Triple Bottom Line Challenge, asks participants what impact startup they would create now to make the post-pandemic world a better place. An impact startup is one that makes impact on the world or society. The term “triple bottom line” is a framework for thinking about businesses in order to create a better society and not just think about the traditional meaning of “bottom line” or profit, but also consider the other “two P’s:” planet and people.
Applications are due May 26. The finalists will be selected by June 4 and winners announced June 18.
In addition to submitting an idea, students are able to find a team at the competition website. Submissions to this website also will be eligible for the internal Penn State competition.
Jamey Darnell, interim director of the Intercollege Minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ENTI), said the internal Penn State competition will include first, second and third place prizes for $500, $300 and $200.
ENTI Director Anne Hoag will be a judge for the international competition and she will be joined by Darnell and Jeanette Miller, associate director of the Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship, as judges for the Penn State competition.
The Intercollege Minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation is a part of the Center for Penn State Student Entrepreneurship, which is housed in Penn State Undergraduate Education, the academic administrative unit that provides leadership and coordination for University-wide programs and initiatives in support of undergraduate teaching and learning at Penn State. Learn more about Undergraduate Education at undergrad.psu.edu.