By Vincent Juma

Last Saturday, the Transitions Office in the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at USIU-Africa, held a pitching practice session for the 34 semifinalists of this year’s Social Venture Challenge (SVC). The whole-day session was designed to help these aspiring entrepreneurs perfect their pitches ahead of the finals, set for October 12, 2024, in Kigali, Rwanda. The Social Venture Challenge (SVC), a collaboration between the Mastercard Foundation and the Resolution Project, identifies Mastercard Foundation Scholars who want to make a difference in their community and provides them with seed funding, mentorship, and access to a network of global changemakers.

Facilitating the session were previous winners of the Social Venture Challenge, now serving as Resolution Fellows. This group of experienced mentors also acted as judges, offering the semifinalists valuable insights gained from their own journeys to success. The panel of eight included Olatunji Lincoln, Pride Onyango, Silas Ooko, Rashid Wamela, Kelen Lenora, Mercy Mulenga, Isaac Wandeto and Titus Ayieko Odero.

Throughout the day, each of the 34 semifinalists had the opportunity to present their pitch to the judging panel, receiving detailed and personalized feedback on their presentation skills, business ideas, and delivery. The focus was on helping each participant strengthen their pitch and be better prepared for both the semifinals and the finals in Kigali.

The session was highly impactful, with the judges providing constructive critiques and suggestions on how each semifinalist could improve. The feedback ranged from fine-tuning content to enhancing delivery and answering questions more effectively. The one-on-one guidance from the SVC alumni judges ensured that each semifinalist left with clear action points for their final pitch preparations.

Last year, thirteen Mastercard Foundation Scholars from USIU-Africa were selected as winners of the 2023 Social Venture Challenge, with the winning projects receiving a total of $26,000 to support their initiatives across Inclusion, Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, and Clean Eco-Fuel.