Impact Startup Challenge: 450+ ideas and PKR 1.5M awarded
Young founders pitched solutions to pressing social issues, with mentorship, investor networking and seed funding for the best.
The last edition of the Impact Startup Challenge received more than 450 ideas, and PKR 1.5 million was awarded.
The Challenge asks you to pitch your solution to a pressing social issue. Finalists get mentorship, investor networking and seed funding. It is run from SIA’s Quetta hub, and it is also a route into the Ideate stage of the SIA Pathway.
Who can take part
The Challenge invites solutions to a pressing social issue.
What finalists receive
- Mentorship
- Investor networking
- Seed funding for the strongest entries: PKR 1.5 million in total was awarded in the last edition
What makes a strong entry
Judges see hundreds of ideas, so clarity wins. A strong entry explains five things in plain words:
- The problem, and who lives with it. Name the people, the place and what it costs them today.
- What you have learned from them. Say how many people you spoke to and what surprised you.
- Your solution, in one sentence, and how you would test it in the next three months.
- How it pays for itself: who pays, how much and how often.
- What the seed funding would buy, item by item.
If writing is hard, ask the team on WhatsApp whether you can explain your idea with a voice note or a short video instead. How to write a strong application goes through each of these points in more detail.
A route into the Pathway
Entering is worthwhile even if you do not reach the final. The Challenge feeds the Ideate stage, where you work through the Business Model Canvas with a facilitator, pitch again, and the top 10% receive micro-grants. If you already earn revenue, Incubate and its 100-day sprints may suit you better.
The next edition
Dates for the next edition will be announced on this site and on SIA’s WhatsApp channel. Register interest on the Impact Startup Challenge page and the team will contact you when entries open.
Why enter a challenge at all
A challenge gives you three things that are hard to find alone: a deadline that forces you to write your idea down clearly, feedback from people who have seen hundreds of ideas, and a room full of potential mentors, partners and investors. Many founders find that preparing the entry teaches them as much as the result.
Before you enter: a short checklist
- Can you explain the problem in two sentences to someone who has never seen it?
- Have you spoken to at least ten people who live with the problem?
- Do you know who would pay, and roughly how much?
- Is there one small test you could run in the next month?
- Does your team cover the skills the idea needs, or do you know who you would ask?
If you win seed funding
Spend it on the test that answers your biggest question, not on things that only look like progress, such as a logo or office furniture. Keep every receipt, write down what you learned, and share the results with your mentors. Funders and the next programme you apply to will want to see how the first money was used.
