Description
Elucidation with regards to dprize competition awards 68,000 in seed capital to seven social entrepreneurs.
HOLD FOR RELEASE UNTIL 8/5/13
DPrize Competition Awards $68,000 in Seed Capital to Seven Social Entrepreneurs
Winners will launch ventures that distribute proven poverty solutions in the developing world
SAN FRANCISCO, California (August 5, 2013) DPrize is an organization dedicated to expanding access
to proven poverty solutions in the developing world. Today DPrize announced 7 winners of its inaugural
social entrepreneurship competition, and awarded each between $10,000 and $20,000 to launch new
organizations that exponentially scale distribution of poverty solutions.
“As a human society, we invented the solutions to eradicate extreme poverty decades ago,” said Andrew
Youn, cofounder of DPrize. “But in practice, these solutions have yet to be distributed to more than a
billion people. For many of the world’s poor, the distribution of proven interventions would result directly in
the achievement of human development.”
“DPrize believes a problem isn’t solved until the solution is in the hands of those who need it,” notes Paul
Youn, cofounder of DPrize. “We don’t care about shiny new solutions, we fund strong entrepreneurs who
will distribute proven solutions and help millions of people.”
Introducing the 7 winners of the first DPrize competition (representing six new ventures):
? Katie Wood from Atlanta, Georgia will launch “Watch Me Go,” a crowdsourced funding platform to
provide education scholarships for girls in Kenya. Watch Me Go will allow donors to build a virtual
classroom of smart girls in need of secondary school scholarships, track progress online and earn
points that are used to send more girls to school. Within three months Katie will raise funds for 100
girls to attend school.
? Arvind Nagarajan from Cambridge, Massachusetts will launch a new approach for improving
education in resourcelimited settings. Arvind will rely on tabletbased digital student assessments
to inform lowincome parents of education quality and empower them to drive improvements in
school systems. He will pilot a tabletbased assessment in a lowcost center in Mumbai, and hopes
to launch full time in 2014.
? Olivia Nava from Oakland, California launched Juabar to service mobile phones in Tanzania. Juabar
kiosks use solar power to charge mobile phones and are also a pointofsale for household solar
lamps. Kiosks are run by “juapreneurs” – entrepreneurs who serve their local communities. With
support from DPrize, Olivia will earn over $5,000 in revenue, support 15 local juapreneurs, and sell
400 solar lamps in three months. She will scale to 32,000 products and 150 Juabar kiosks in two
years.
? Katerina Kimmorley from Sydney, Australia launched Pollinate Energy to provide clean energy to
slum areas in India. Their model also sparks economic opportunities in emerging markets by relying
on local salesmen. Their work eradicates energy poverty and replace dangerous kerosene lamps
with solar solutions. Katerina plans to sell over 5,000 solar solutions in two years.
? Jackie Stenson and Diana Jue from Cambridge, Massachusetts together launched Essmart to
connect local retailers in India with manufacturers of solar lamps, home lighting systems, water
filters and other essential products. They plan to support local entrepreneurs and supply households
with poverty solutions by reaching over 5,000 retailers and distributing more than 500,000 products
within two years.
? Maria Springer from Los Angeles, California will launch SmartSana to distribute cleanburning cook
stoves as replacements for dangerous and environmentally damaging alternatives. She will also
provide economic opportunities for local salesmen. By 2015, she hopes to reach 4 million residents
in Nairobi slums who currently burn firewood, waste and charcoal for cooking. Maria previously
launched Lively Hoods, a nonprofit which operates in Nairobi.
DPrize challenged applicants to distribute any number of proven poverty interventions. Applicants
considered distributing energy solutions like solar lamps and efficient cook stoves, educational solutions like
scholarship funding, public health solutions like “sugar daddy awareness” seminars, and medical
interventions like vaccines and early cervical cancer screenings.
The DPrize competition was highly competitive, with over 300 applicants from around the world submitting
proposals. The next DPrize competition will launch this fall, and social entrepreneurs are encouraged to
apply by November 30, 2013. DPrize is on track to award $150,000 in 2013.
About the DPrize:
DPrize organization was founded by brothers Paul Youn and Andrew Youn. Andrew is also cofounder of
One Acre Fund, a social enterprise which serves 130,000 farmers in Africa. Andrew is an Echoing Green
Fellow, a Skoll Foundation Awardee, and 2013 Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year. He
developed the concept for One Acre Fund in 2006 as a business school student at Kellogg School of
Management.
Media Contact:
Nicholas Fusso, Program Director
nicholas@dprize.org
(206) 2269170
www.dprize.org
###
doc_859898578.pdf
Elucidation with regards to dprize competition awards 68,000 in seed capital to seven social entrepreneurs.
HOLD FOR RELEASE UNTIL 8/5/13
DPrize Competition Awards $68,000 in Seed Capital to Seven Social Entrepreneurs
Winners will launch ventures that distribute proven poverty solutions in the developing world
SAN FRANCISCO, California (August 5, 2013) DPrize is an organization dedicated to expanding access
to proven poverty solutions in the developing world. Today DPrize announced 7 winners of its inaugural
social entrepreneurship competition, and awarded each between $10,000 and $20,000 to launch new
organizations that exponentially scale distribution of poverty solutions.
“As a human society, we invented the solutions to eradicate extreme poverty decades ago,” said Andrew
Youn, cofounder of DPrize. “But in practice, these solutions have yet to be distributed to more than a
billion people. For many of the world’s poor, the distribution of proven interventions would result directly in
the achievement of human development.”
“DPrize believes a problem isn’t solved until the solution is in the hands of those who need it,” notes Paul
Youn, cofounder of DPrize. “We don’t care about shiny new solutions, we fund strong entrepreneurs who
will distribute proven solutions and help millions of people.”
Introducing the 7 winners of the first DPrize competition (representing six new ventures):
? Katie Wood from Atlanta, Georgia will launch “Watch Me Go,” a crowdsourced funding platform to
provide education scholarships for girls in Kenya. Watch Me Go will allow donors to build a virtual
classroom of smart girls in need of secondary school scholarships, track progress online and earn
points that are used to send more girls to school. Within three months Katie will raise funds for 100
girls to attend school.
? Arvind Nagarajan from Cambridge, Massachusetts will launch a new approach for improving
education in resourcelimited settings. Arvind will rely on tabletbased digital student assessments
to inform lowincome parents of education quality and empower them to drive improvements in
school systems. He will pilot a tabletbased assessment in a lowcost center in Mumbai, and hopes
to launch full time in 2014.
? Olivia Nava from Oakland, California launched Juabar to service mobile phones in Tanzania. Juabar
kiosks use solar power to charge mobile phones and are also a pointofsale for household solar
lamps. Kiosks are run by “juapreneurs” – entrepreneurs who serve their local communities. With
support from DPrize, Olivia will earn over $5,000 in revenue, support 15 local juapreneurs, and sell
400 solar lamps in three months. She will scale to 32,000 products and 150 Juabar kiosks in two
years.
? Katerina Kimmorley from Sydney, Australia launched Pollinate Energy to provide clean energy to
slum areas in India. Their model also sparks economic opportunities in emerging markets by relying
on local salesmen. Their work eradicates energy poverty and replace dangerous kerosene lamps
with solar solutions. Katerina plans to sell over 5,000 solar solutions in two years.
? Jackie Stenson and Diana Jue from Cambridge, Massachusetts together launched Essmart to
connect local retailers in India with manufacturers of solar lamps, home lighting systems, water
filters and other essential products. They plan to support local entrepreneurs and supply households
with poverty solutions by reaching over 5,000 retailers and distributing more than 500,000 products
within two years.
? Maria Springer from Los Angeles, California will launch SmartSana to distribute cleanburning cook
stoves as replacements for dangerous and environmentally damaging alternatives. She will also
provide economic opportunities for local salesmen. By 2015, she hopes to reach 4 million residents
in Nairobi slums who currently burn firewood, waste and charcoal for cooking. Maria previously
launched Lively Hoods, a nonprofit which operates in Nairobi.
DPrize challenged applicants to distribute any number of proven poverty interventions. Applicants
considered distributing energy solutions like solar lamps and efficient cook stoves, educational solutions like
scholarship funding, public health solutions like “sugar daddy awareness” seminars, and medical
interventions like vaccines and early cervical cancer screenings.
The DPrize competition was highly competitive, with over 300 applicants from around the world submitting
proposals. The next DPrize competition will launch this fall, and social entrepreneurs are encouraged to
apply by November 30, 2013. DPrize is on track to award $150,000 in 2013.
About the DPrize:
DPrize organization was founded by brothers Paul Youn and Andrew Youn. Andrew is also cofounder of
One Acre Fund, a social enterprise which serves 130,000 farmers in Africa. Andrew is an Echoing Green
Fellow, a Skoll Foundation Awardee, and 2013 Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year. He
developed the concept for One Acre Fund in 2006 as a business school student at Kellogg School of
Management.
Media Contact:
Nicholas Fusso, Program Director
nicholas@dprize.org
(206) 2269170
www.dprize.org
###
doc_859898578.pdf