SOCIAL VENTURE PARTNERS ANNOUNCES
10 SEED20 FINALISTS, JUDGES PANEL, AND SPONSORS
CHARLOTTE, NC – SEED20 (www.SEED20.org), Social Venture Partners’ annual program for nonprofit entrepreneurs, is pleased to announce the ten finalists from the Class of 2015 who will pitch their ideas live at SEED20 OnStage! on March 3, 2015. The SEED20 Finalists are:
•A Widow’s Path
•Charlotte Ballet Reach
•Charlotte Bilingual Preschool
•Charlotte Food Innovation District
•EmpowHERment
•Girls Rock Charlotte
•Joedance Film Festival
•Present Age Ministries
•Uncommen
•Youth Meditation
For the past seven weeks, Social Venture Partners has provided extensive coaching and mentoring to twenty of Charlotte’s most innovative nonprofits with the goal of helping them develop a compelling 3-minute pitch. The SEED20 program culminates with SEED20 OnStage! — a high-energy event on March 3rd at Knight Theater. Vying for a prize pool totaling $55,000, the top ten finalists will give their fast-paced pitches for social change to a panel of judges and a live audience. While the panel of judges provides commentary to the presenters and selects two award winners, the audience participates as well by voting for the People’s Choice Award.
The 2015 SEED20 Judging Panel includes:
•Joanne O’Brien Beam, Chief Development Officer and Director of Non-Degree Programs, Wake Forest University Charlotte
•Katie Levans, Founder of PlateShare — last year’s SEED20 Grand Prize Winner
•Katie B. Morris, Board Chair, The Belk Foundation
•Emmanuel “Manny” Ohonme, Founder and President, Samaritan’s Feet International
•Steve Sellers, Managing Director, Sockwell Partners
Immediately following the formal program in Knight Theater, SVP will host a fully catered reception where the audience can network with and celebrate all SEED20 Class participants. “The energy and enthusiasm in the room is palpable,” said an attendee from last year’s event. “It was so exciting to hear from people making a real difference in our community.”
Tickets are available for purchase at www.SEED20.org. Visit www.SEED20.org/ideas to learn more about the big ideas for social change shared by this year’s SEED20 Class of 2015.
SEED20 is made possible with the generous support of our investors—
Ashley Furniture, Bank of America, Reemprise Fund, UNC-Charlotte, Wells Fargo, Duke Energy, OrthoCarolina, Robinson Center for Civic Leadership, Beacon Partners, Crescent Communities, McGuire Woods, Pamlico Capital, Priceless Misc, and Novant Health.
About Social Venture Partners
Social Venture Partners (SVP) is a global network of strategic philanthropists joined by passion and purpose. SVP addresses social problems through venture philanthropy, a model of giving where its members not only provide grants, but also give their collective expertise and time to support the vital work of high-impact nonprofit organizations in Charlotte. To learn more, please visit http://www.svpcharlotte.org.
