From a field of over 50 applicants, six local non-profits have been selected for the inaugural Philanthropitch Columbus competition. The social enterprise fast pitch competition accelerates non-profits by providing unrestricted capital and access to in-kind services that help organizations expand their impact and fund initiatives that aren’t covered by traditional grants.
Finalists include:
- Ruling Our Experience (ROX)
- Furniture Bank of Central Ohio
- ECDI
- Equitas Health
- Rebuilding Together Central Ohio
- YMCA of Central Ohio
SocialVentures, one of the co-hosts of the competition, will select a seventh finalist to be announced at a later date.
Finalists will take the stage March 4, 2019, at the Jo Ann Davidson Theatre where they will present their three minute pitches followed by three minutes of questions from the judges.
Judges supply the funding that the nonprofit finalists will be awarded. Instead of a standard first, second, third, judges determine how the pool of funding should be distributed among finalists. Nonprofits also have the opportunity to collect extra capital from Philanthropitch’s corporate donors and audience awards.
Nonprofits will pitch to a panel of seven local judges including:
- Tanisha Robinson – CEO, BrewDog USA
- Dan Sharpe – VP for Community Research & Grants Management, The Columbus Foundation
- Wes Strickling – CEO, CodexIT
- Kristy Campbell – COO, Rev1 Ventures
- Doug Ulman – President & CEO, Pelotonia
- Lisa Ingram – President & CEO, White Castle System, Inc.
- John Lowe – CEO, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream
Philanthropitch Columbus is presented by Kiwanis Club of Columbus and co-hosted by SocialVentures. The pitch competition launched in Austin, TX in 2013 and has since expanded to San Antonio and Columbus and has donated nearly $1 million to non-profits to date.
Two of the finalists were recognized for their social impact at The Metropreneur’s Aspire 2018. ROX was honored as the Social Enterprise of the year, and the Furniture Bank’s social enterprise Downsize with a Heart received the Nonprofit Sustainability Award. Equitas Health received the Nonprofit Sustainability Award in 2017 for its social enterprise pharmacy.
For more information on the Philanthropitch finalists, click here, or visit philanthropitch.org.Â