Liquidnet's "Markets for Good" Challenge
In this year's Challenge, Liquidnet and Net Impact selected four finalist teams of business students to make philanthropic giving more effective through an innovative idea. Teams were paired with executive mentors who advised and supported them before the final round on March 30th. We are now pleased to announce the winners of the 2nd Annual Liquidnet “Markets for Good” Challenge.
A team of students from Net Impact's CU Boulder Chapter was selected by a panel of expert judges to win the 2nd annual Liquidnet Markets for Good Challenge. Their “Needmap” idea – which provides donors with a real-time view of human needs, highlighting high-performing organizations solving them – won the team $7,500. Additionally, a $2,500 donation will be made in the team’s honor to their designated nonprofit, Nyaya Health, a nonprofit that operates a hospital and mobile medical care services in Nepal.
View Needmap's final presentation and executive summary here:
“A thriving society requires a thriving social sector, and a thriving social sector depends on enough money going to truly high-performing nonprofits tackling the really tough challenges,” commented Brian Walsh who oversees Liquidnet For Good, the company’s corporate social engagement program. “By encouraging some of the best business school minds to help us identify innovative solutions to drive more money to more effective nonprofits, we hope that we can inspire broader impact.”
The Markets for Good Challenge seeks to find new ways of approaching charitable giving. Teams of graduate and undergraduate business students from across the country submitted ideas for how to increase giving by individual donors to truly high-performing nonprofits.
The Challenge is part of Liquidnet’s “Markets for Good” initiative, which applies Liquidnet’s core competency of using technology to make markets more efficient and ultimately helps unleash more money for good.
“For the second year in a row, Liquidnet’s Markets for Good Challenge has inspired students to challenge conventional approaches to philanthropy,” said Liz Maw, CEO of Net Impact. “The Boulder students’ Needmap project represents the kind of creative thinking needed to better direct funds to where they’ll make the most impact.”
Second place went to a team from the Bainbridge Graduate Institute for their “Social Market Exchange” idea. They will receive $2,500 and the nonprofit of their designation, the Bainbridge Graduate Institute, will receive $1,000. “Give Social,” an idea by Georgetown University graduate students, received third place and $1,000 plus a $500 donation to their charity of choice, Life Pieces To Masterpieces.
