global pitch 2021
Global Pitch was a huge success this year with all ten teams winning funding (one funded by audience members!)
​
Check out each team's pitch video below to learn about their projects, or watch the whole event on YouTube!
2021 FINALISTS
RACIAL JUSTICE AWARD WINNER!
BHSAR (Berkeley High School Anti-Racism)
BHSAR is a group establishing a Resource Equity Hub at Berkeley High that will direct students, particularly those who are most disenfranchised, to existing support programs on campus. Additionally, we have established an Advisory Council, which will feature leadership members from cultural clubs, as well as students that are currently participating in these support programs, and have not typically been represented in leadership roles. The BHS Student Resource Equity Hub will function as an efficient and effective way to improve outreach and distribution of resources, all while prioritizing the the student voice of those often unheard.
Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives
​
Healthy Minds Healthy Lives is a project designed to help BIPOC feel comfortable enough talking about mental health and understanding what it is. We also want our community to feel like they have resources available to them. Mental health is a massive issue and that is why we created Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives.
The Climate Sleuths
​
From our empathy interviews, we realized there is little to no climate change education in classrooms. Therefore, youth do not fully understand the issue of climate change and how they, as individuals, can help. To address this, we are creating a fully animated mystery video series that explores the causes and effects of climate change. It is a series made by students, for students. Our goal is to educate and inspire 3rd through 5th graders into taking climate action, so they can share their knowledge with their parents, friends, and broader community.
GSJA
​
We are the GSJA: The Genders and Sexuality Junior Alliance. Our aim is to aid the LGBTQ+ community in Japan through selling hand-designed merchandise. 80% of all our profits will go to local charities including Stonewall Japan. The other 20% will go into the promoting and purchasing of new products. We have created an instagram that we will use to sell our products from, and also spread awareness about the problems the LGBTQ+ community is facing here in Japan.
Planting Hopes
​
The world’s 1/3 undernourished children are Indian. During lockdown I started planting vegetables just outside my house to attain mental peace due to long hour in front of screen. I began with growing simple vegetables. I grew very excited to saw my first produce and I donated the produce in my community. My neighbors also started taking interest. Soon it became a community planting. Planting Hopes aims to provide nutrition to children. Soon it became a community project. Started growing microgreens, vegetables at home even in flats to provide nutrition to children and we donate the produce to feed the needy.
PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD WINNER!
​
To address issues of animal cruelty and environmental degradation, we have created The Plant-Based and Justice Project. The PB&J Project is an online educational resource for pre-teen audiences and their families to learn about factory farming. More specifically, the resource focuses on plant-based eating and cultural competency. The site integrates curricula, art/infographics, cooking demos, recipes, and module-based activities that help children explore plant-based eating and sustainable alternatives to counteract the detrimental effects of factory farming. Our goal is to make plant-based eating fun and accessible to young people at a time when their eating habits are becoming formed.
Vaccines4Teens
​
Although vaccines are one of the most effective public health resources to prevent disease, many individuals in the United States are not receiving vaccinations. This includes the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine to fight the current pandemic. The goal of Vaccines4teens is to provide secondary students with information about the Covid-19 Vaccine so they can help family members and friends get vaccinated and educate themselves. This project includes a 6-panel infographic with accurate, condensed, clear, and accessible information and a helpful website. This is information by a teen for teens to address misconceptions to protect this generation and future generations from preventable diseases.
Warm Post
​
“Warm post” aims to help Ukrainian victims of human trafficking to break the cycle - to not get re-victimised. As it is crucial not to assume but to ask what people need, the team contacted A21 Ukraine and found out that victims need warm clothes when rescued. We plan to collect it in boxes placed in our college and in schools and supermarkets of 4 towns around it. Infographics about human trafficking will be put on the boxes to educate the community. The clothes collected will be sent to A21 Ukraine that will give it to victims once they are rescued.
Educate Our Youth
​
Educate Our Youth is tearing down the systemic barriers in education, and providing people with a free course in financial literacy. Our course and any related resources can be found on our website, where people will be able to register and create an account. The basic Educate Our Youth curriculum consists of 5 topics with 3 subtopics each, as well as interactive problem solving and logic activities students can go through by themselves with answer keys to check their knowledge. It is our hope that this vital information is reached by many, leaving a positive impact locally and globally.
Kitabi
Kitabi is a book exchange platform that seeks to make books of all types available to anyone who seeks them for free and in a time-efficient manner, regardless of their socio-economic background. This is in hopes of combating the unequal access to educational resources that are so prevalent in Morocco, due to the lack of public libraries and affordable book supply. This is a unique approach to the problem since it doesn't involve trying to renovate the infrastructure and investing in large amounts of books, rather efficiently distributing the books the community already has within itself through the use of technology.
judges
Chijioke is an entrepreneur with a background in edTech, finance and business operations. He is currently the cofounder of Threadstack, a social learning app, which enables young professionals and creatives to conveniently solicit mentorship, insight and feedback from a community of peers and experts. Chijioke is passionate about social entrepreneurship and leveraging technology to scale impact. He has participated in and supported a few social accelerators in the Bay Area and enjoys mentoring impact-focused innovators.
Chijioke Emenike
Stephanie Klempner
Stephanie has always had a great love for animals, participating as a foster parent for stray dogs and volunteering with various programs aimed to help the welfare of pets. After connecting her love for animals with her food choices, she began to open her heart to both suffering and compassion in the world and connecting the choices we make in life to a more blessed life. She realized the power that one person truly has to impact the world, and thus teamed up with Ari Nessel (her brother-in-law) to create The Pollination Project. Stephanie is also extremely committed and dedicated to her career as Vice President of a children's literacy curriculum company and feels a deep connection with empowering youth to be readers and writers in the world, while also empowering them to change the world. Stephanie lives in NYC with her with her partner Josh, and their son Odin. The issue that Stephanie is most passionate about is the rights of animals to live without fear, pain or exploitation.
Kate Campbell King
Kate Campbell King has spent the last 25 years as a financial advisor, combining her analytic skills with a passion for helping clients feel safe and confident in their financial decisions. In 2005, she co-founded North Berkeley Wealth Management. The firm has grown and now has six advisors and a support staff that provide client-centered financial planning and investment management, including sustainable investments, for individuals, families and nonprofit organizations. Kate works with several local nonprofit organizations, and chairs the board of the Berkeley Food Network. She particularly cares about food justice and economic justice, and the role of biodiversity in protecting the planet.
Daniel Smyth is an Advisor for North Berkeley clients. He is well versed in financial strategy and works with clients to develop financial plans and implement investment strategies to reach their long-term goals. Daniel is a primary resource for our clients alongside the Lead and Senior Advisors. Before joining North Berkeley, Daniel worked in institutional sales at Litman Gregory Asset Management. There he developed an understanding of mutual funds and alternative investments. Daniel transitioned into personal finance because he wanted to have a more impact on a personal level.
Daniel Smyth
More than a decade ago, Doug quit his job to go back to school and follow his passion and find new ways to improve solar technology. He is now a research scientist at IBM and is the co-author of more than 30 publications and a dozen patents related to solar cells and renewable energy technologies. Recent research has also included AI and quantum computing, but Doug remains committed and passionate about sustainability and global inequality. Today he remains active in a non-profit working in Ghana focused on bringing communities together to make local change.
Doug Bishop
Kurt Collins is a serial entrepreneur with deep experience at the early stage of start-up companies. He has been on the founding team or an early employee at four different companies with successful exits, the largest of which (Photobucket) had a $300MM+ exit. Additionally, he is the co-founder of The Hidden Genius Project, a Bay Area mentorship program for young Black male youth focused on teaching technology creation, entrepreneurship, and leadership development. He now continues working on improving the pipeline of Black and Brown entrepreneurs through his work as the Head Of Digital at Refound (a leadership development company) and as a Partner at Rising Tide Ventures (an early stage venture fund investing in underrepresented entrepreneurs).
Kurt Collins
