Finalists Announced for SEIC Finals Competing for the over $150,000 in Awards

SEIC 2007 Competition Nears Conclusion

St. Louis , March 23, 2007 -

The judges have selected the 2007 Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition finalists!  At a private event on Thursday, judges representing area non-profits, corporations, service providers, and universities selected six finalists from the pool of sixteen semi-finalists to continue in the competition.  The competitors were judged on criteria which included the project concept and market, the team, the sustainability plan, the social value, and the presentation.  The six finalists are competing for $150,000 in funding.  Their next step is to complete a full sustainability plan for their ventures and then make a presentation to the judges in April.  Winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on May 3, 2007, so mark your calendars now. 

• The finalist teams: 
  Let’s Start with the Kids plans to provide expert training and consultation for the educators and social workers who work with the children of incarcerated parents.
• Miriam Center will be offering comprehensive services for children with multiple learning disabilities. 
  
•  MS Repository wants to create an information portal for sharing scientific data about advances in the cure for multiple sclerosis.
• Nest plans to assist women in developing countries to begin or maintain art or craft-based businesses using microfinance loans.
• One World Neighborhood Café, a new venture by the Center for Women in Transition, will be a unique catering service providing education/training for immigrant and ex-offender women.
• The Bridge St. Louis is developing a youth entertainment center in St. Louis where teens can connect to healthy activities and adult mentors.

In addition, three teams remain in the competition for the $5,000 prize awarded to teams that are student-founded or student-supported: 

• Cents City plans to build real world financial habits and classroom skills through an interactive and virtual experience for teachers and students. 
• MOAR for Life, a new venture by the South Grand Senior Ministry, will provide services to meet the needs of the elderly population in St. Louis. 
• Our Education’s mission is to improve K-12 education in America by engaging and empowering students across the country in a national youth movement for better schools.

After the private event judged by a panel of 25 professioals, all semi-finalists repeated their elevator pitches at a public event and audience members had the opportunity to select their own top choices, with a prize going to the person whose selections were the closest match to the judges.  Four members of the audience tied for that honor and will receive $250 each:  Libby Peters, Jim Matush, Dan Mitchell, and Sr. Rose McLarney, CSJ.   

The annual Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition is operated by the Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Washington University in St. Louis in partnership with the YouthBridge Association.  The Incarnate Word Foundation has returned as a sponsor for the second year, and is joined this year by the Deaconess Foundation.  In this second year of the competition the submissions increased by 33%.