Today, we are unveiling the Dell Social Innovation Competition site. It is a place where university students from around the globe can make a difference in the world by putting great ideas into action. To make it happen, we partnered with the RGK Center at the University of Texas and the team at salesforce.com. Here’s how it works:
The competition website opens on Monday, February 2, 2009. Students will submit innovative ideas to start a For-profit or Non-profit business that will address a global social issue. Everyone can view these ground-breaking ideas and vote for the ones that have the most potential. The winner of the competition will be awarded $50,000 to start a business and put their idea into action. See the full details of the competition here.
The Internet and technology have made world a much smaller place, and we are passionate about supporting the needs of the global community. Our Dell Philanthropy team supports initiatives involving things like digital inclusion, diversity, and sustainability, and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation provides on-going support of education around the world. Our goal with this program is to inspire students all over the world to create and share ideas that can make a difference in all these areas and more.
We hope you or a student you know will take a moment to submit an idea, and spend some time voting on the ones you think will have the biggest impact. We believe that anyone can have a profound impact and appreciate those who take a moment to participate in our competition. Doing so is a way to show support for the future entrepreneurs who can change the world!
We will keep you updated on each round of the competition and plan to feature some of the most innovative ideas over the coming months through places like Direct2Dell, Facebook, and IdeaStorm.
See the vlog posted below for more about the competition.
Good luck! We can’t wait to see what you will come up with.