UpPrize
Over the past six weeks, the Coro Fellows in Public Affairs have been immersed in the non-profit sector. With placements at a variety of non-profit organizations and interviews with some of Pittsburgh’s prominent non-profit leaders, the fellows gained a better understanding of the following topics: non-profit funding, staffing and network; sector size and scope; intersector relationships and impact on public policy. To round out the end of the non-profit cycle, the Fellows were invited to the UpPrize 2022 Social Innovation Challenge Final Showcase organized by BNY Mellon and Innovation Works. The UpPrize Social Innovation Challenge strives to increase the number of technology-based solutions to critical social issues. This year, the contest focused on racial and economic justice solutions.
The UpPrize Social Innovation Challenge of 2022 stimulated new discussions around racial & economic justice and tech in Pittsburgh.
There were nine finalists that competed and presented their start-ups: Kangaroo Birthing & Maternity; Toyz Electronics, LLC; Behavior AI; DisSolves Inc; de-bias; Meerkat Village; Precision Neuroscopics; Make it Home Safe; Young Dreamers’ Bookstore; Ayúdate. The event took place on November 29, 2022 at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center. Prior to the presentations, attendees were able to walk around the event spaces and gather brochure information about each of the participating companies. Attendees also mingled, networked, and had their photos professionally taken before entering the auditorium.
Upon entering the auditorium, the atmosphere was lively and inclusive, with a broad mix of attendees. We each kept notes on who we mingled with prior to the event and found that attendees included presenters’ family members, nonprofit staff, competition participants, students, Innovation Works staff, recent graduates working in tech, semi-finalist presenters, recent business school graduates, and job and opportunity hunters.
Each social enterprise presented their pitch in a quick successive pace. While we as Coro fellows have learned first-hand about the cross-sector interactions between the nonprofit and government sectors, the startups represented at UpPrize highlighted inter-sector relationships spanning the board from government-innovation through Make it Home Safe to healthcare-business-innovation via Behavior AI, Precision Neuroscopics, and Ayúdate, for example.
For us, as Coro Fellows, our experiences at the UpPrize event were invaluable. As audience members, we were offered the unprecedented opportunity to interact with passionate startup founders, change-makers, and entrepreneurs across Pittsburgh sectors and industries. Fellows’ assumptions about philanthropy and corporate giving were challenged. We built our networks via connections made at the event and reception, gained insight into Innovation Works and BNY Mellon. The UpPrize 2022 Social Innovation Challenge Final Showcase educated attendees and the general public on the philanthropic efforts of BNY Mellon . We learned about the work of different organizations in the Pittsburgh region, and got exposure to innovative solutions for underserved communities. Each fellow was impressed and inspired by the drive of every participant and their enthusiasm for addressing social inequity through their work. We hope to emulate their energy as we continue through our Fellowship.