Student-Led Ventures Win $5,000 Entrepreneurship Seed Grants

On March 4, four student-run ventures received $5,000 seed grants from the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship (PCSE) after finalists in the competition pitched a panel of judges. The awards are intended to fund the launch or early stage growth of a social enterprise, project, program, or venture. Projects or ventures must address a social problem; be sustainable, scalable, and/or replicable; and have a potential for impact. Entries can be for-profit, nonprofit, hybrid, or have no legal structure.The unrestricted funding is accompanied with training, advising, mentoring, incubator workspace, and other resources from the Patricelli Center.

"This program is all about giving students a chance to develop and test their leadership skills and their ideas for social change," Makaela Kingsley, director of the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship, said. "Wesleyan's mission is to 'offer an education characterized by boldness, rigor, and practical idealism,' and programs like the PCSE Seed Grant embody that mission and help students turn theory into practice."