Greetings,

My name is Jordan Ashwood, and I am the Partnerships Manager at the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U). This past year, my colleagues at CGI U had contacted you about CGI U 2021, a global year-long program that supports student innovators on college campuses across the world. I am now reaching out about a new program we have launched to further diversify the next generation of leaders. 

We are excited to share a new Social Innovation Challenge in partnership with Verizon, where undergraduate and graduate student teams of 2-3 will have the opportunity to compete for start-up funds and living stipends totaling in $350k. Student finalists will compete in a pitch competition, participate in tailored entrepreneurial training with VentureWell this summer, and have the opportunity to connect with topic experts including Clinton Foundation Chair, President Bill Clinton, and Vice-Chair, Chelsea Clinton. 

Students can submit proposals addressing one of three issue areas that leverage leading-edge technology: 

• Immersive education 
• Climate justice 
• Health equity 

We hope you can help us promote this opportunity through your social media and email newsletters by using this toolkit with recommended language and accompanying graphics. 

The deadline for students to submit their idea for the Social Innovation Challenge is Thursday, April 1. If students would like to connect with the CGI U and Verizon teams and learn how to prepare a competitive application, they can join our Design Sprint from March 8-12 by signing up here. All other details about the Social Innovation Challenge application can be found at cgiu.org/verizonchallenge. 

If you would like to discuss how CGI U can support student innovators on your campus, please do not hesitate to add time to my calendar [https://calendly.com/jashwoodcgiu/30min] for a 30-minute phone or Zoom call. Thank you for your engagement – I look forward to hearing from you! 

Warmly, 

Jordan

Jordan Ashwood

Partnerships Manager

CGI University | Clinton Foundation

She/Her/Hers

1633 Broadway, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10019