While there are arguably some pretty awesome things about college life, one of the coolest things is the network you have available at your fingertips. Whether it’s financial support from your university, mentors in the shape of professors, or the plethora of highly intelligent and motivated peers, you will rarely, if ever, find yourself in a position to really delve into what inspires you with such immense resources. This is why college is the perfect time to be an entrepreneur — whether you’re an undergraduate student or pursuing a post-graduate degree, universities want to invest in smart, motivated people – and they’re not the only ones.
On Tuesday night, I was very lucky to attend the Dell Social Innovation Awards in Austin, Texas.This was the culmination of the Dell Social Innovation Challenge, which is a challenge open to students in all fields of study with any social impact innovation (from charitable to for-profit and even blended projects) and in any phase of development (from early ideas to complete operations fully up and running). The awards ceremony itself was fantastic. It was held in the ACL Live theatre in downtown Austin and the keynote speaker was Daniel Epstein, founder of the Unreasonable Institute, an organization you should all check out. It was also great to see apl.de.ap present an award sponsored by his foundation, and also to see him perform!
apl.de.app of Black Eyed Peas performing at the Dell Social Innovation Awards
The Dell Social Innovation Challenge awarded 28 prizes this year, totaling over $350,000. Many of them were given to the teams earlier in the judging process, but five teams made it to the final round for the chance to win $10k, $30k, or $50k! The three inspiring winners were:
- Essmart Global – Developing a distribution model that gives rural retail shop owners in India access to products that improve their customers’ lives.
- Humanure Power Project – Increasing access to santiation and electricity to improve the lives of villagers in India.
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Nanoly– Â Enabling vaccines to be delivered anywhere in the world without refridgeration.Â
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Some of you might be asking why Dell is involved in a social innovation challenge. Believe me, as a Mac person, I was wondering the same thing. They make computers, right? Well, yes. But because they are such a global company (they have over 107,000 employees worldwide!), they care a great deal about changing the world for the better. Their Corporate Responsibility team, which focuses on global philanthropy and the sustainability practices of the company, is doing amazing things with their technology.
The Social Media Listening Command Center at Dell
According to Trisa Thompson, the Vice President of Corporate Responsibility, Dell is “trying to keep giving in areas where their technology will make a difference.” So far, their focus areas have been education and social entrepreneurship, but they’ve also begun delving into the world of health care. By providing the right technology, they can help hospitals and doctors diagnose patients with life-threatening illnesses (like cancer) faster. They’ve worked with companies like American Red Cross on social media analytics and monitoring, which has helped them provide aid to people in disaster areas, including Haiti.
The other really cool thing about Dell is their dedication to diversity on their team. They have a whole team dedicated to making sure that they have the best talent available, and they work with a ton of organizations in the community – both in Austin and around the world – to make sure they’re securing the best people they can! According to David Kim, Director of D&I Marketplace and Talent, said “Business doesn’t happen in a vaccum; it happens in relationships.”
This concept is key for Dell, and it is one of the reasons the company doesn’t operate in a hierarchaial fashion; everyone is a key player, and everyone has a voice. Even as an intern, you are interacting with members from the executive team – you might even speak with Michael Dell, who is still very active in the office. He even took the time to come down and meet all of the finalists at lunch!
Michael Dell (center) with members for the Nanoly team
I spoke a little bit about the DSIC and hearing the finalists’ pitches here, but prior to the awards ceremony, I actually got a chance to speak with all of them one-on-one. Since they’re all current students or very recently graduated, I also asked them for a piece of advice they wanted to share with all of you about their experiences! Much of their advice overlapped, but these were some of my favorites:
- Tell people about your project and don’t be afraid to share what you’re working on. – Nanoly
- Network. Go to networking events, talk to everyone you meet, and keep every business card someone gives you. They may not seem important now, but that kid doing a keg stand tonight might be a game changer in a few years. – Humanure Power Project
- Take advantage of every opportunity. It’s important to develop relationships, but it’s more important to maintain them. – Essmart
- If you have a good idea and see a need, don’t be afraid to go for it. You have to believe in your project more than anyone else. Don’t be afraid to dream big. – Suzi Sosa, Executive Director of the Dell Social Innovation Challenge
If you’ve got a great idea and want to make it a reality, read more about the Dell Social Innovation Challenge. You can also check out their internship program here.Â
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