The Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2019 PCSE Seed Grants.

These $5,000 awards are intended to fund the launch or early stage growth of a social enterprise, project, program, or venture. Past grantees used this seed funding to help students chase their dreams, innovate tourism in Thailand, provide college access to students in Appalachia, reduce bottled-water consumption on college campuses, bridge the digital divide in The Philippines, reimagine women’s reproductive healthcare, normalize consent, and much more. All have reported on their progress here.

The 2019 PCSE Seed Grant finalists are:

Accessible and Affordable Sanitation for Women
Sydney Ochieng ’22 and Ziyaan Virji (Aga Khan Academy Mombasa)
A student run initiative that seeks to increase access to proper sanitation for young school girls in Mombasa Kenya. AASW empowers girls globally to self-produce their own menstrual materials sustainably and aims to break down the social stigma of menstruation locally. Our goal is to provide a safe, cost effective, eco-friendly and long-lasting alternative for menstrual care.

Dharma Gates
Aaron Stryker ’19, Miles Bukiet ’11, Nicholas Antonellis ’17
Dharma Gates offers a semester of intensive training at a Zen Monastery in the US, bridged by workshops on compassionate activism, contemplative neuroscience, and Buddhist environmentalism. Our curriculum is designed to trains a generation of compassionate leaders and offer an affordable alternative to traditional gap year programs.

Downstream Podcasting
Alli Fam ’19, Ben Saldich ’19, Isaac Price-Slade ’19
Downstream podcasting aims to diversify the podcasting industry in terms of teams and content by providing workshops for underrepresented students and the opportunity for these students to work on Downstream’s own podcast series, Act Local, Be Vocal. The series highlights the work of local activists and non-profits, allowing them to reach potential donors, volunteers and people who can benefit from their services and message with greater ease.

Foster Care Support Project
Luke Lezhanskyy ’20, Katerin Osorto ’20, Ruby Lu ’19, Angela Duong ’21
The Foster Care Support Project (FCSP) is an effort to support and empower foster children of all ages by connecting them with students and young adults. Our work is guided by an ambitious goal — to ultimately reach all of Connecticut’s foster children.

Karma
Zhi Gan ’18, Timothy Kim ’18, Seong Son ’18, Yuhan Wang ’19, Dashiell Halpern ’20, Jonathan Goldman ’20
Karma is a mobile app that captures hidden productivity in the world around us by connecting college students who share common geographical tasks. Our platform uses a combination of a pseudo currency and a method of gamification to create a barter system that allows for free peer-to-peer delivery between students.

YouthHack Connecticut
Philippe Bungabong ’22, Natasha Wong ’22, Nick Franczak ’22, Chunyue Ma ’22, Roshaan Siddiqui ’22
YouthHack Connecticut aims to empower high school and university students in Connecticut to translate their education into action by using emerging technologies, innovative thinking, and startup culture as tools in solving societal problems. Through a variety of educational events, workshops, and programs, it aspires to make Connecticut a prominent hub for entrepreneurship and technological innovation—one idea at a time.

Finalists will pitch for a panel of judges on Friday, March 1, 12-1 p.m., in Allbritton 311. Pitches are open to the public, and a video recording will be available on the Patricelli Center website later. 

Thanks go out to our judges, Propel Capital, and all the other partners and supporters who make this program possible.