A organization offering support networks for foster youth and a recycling program to save a famous Guatemalan lake were the big winners at the annual Social Venture Plan Competition.
Seattle Pacific University held its 19th annual Social Venture Plan Competition (SVPC) Showcase on April 16, 2025. Student teams developed solutions to a wide variety of social problems, both in the United States and around the globe. From preserving traditional arts in Nepal, to helping young video game artists get mentorship, from warm blankets for the homeless to AI-informed apps to improving mental health, these innovative ideas tackled the issues on the hearts and minds of SPU students today.
The winning project was Summit Steps, chosen as the $10,000 Herbert B. Jones Grand Prize winner by the combined votes of 80 judges representing the business, nonprofit, academic, and professional communities. Keystone Plastic Solutions came in second, winning a $5,000 runner-up award. Over the course of the day, several hundred students, faculty, staff, and community members visited the showcase and voted for their favorite project. The Donald B. Summers People’s Choice award of $1,500 went to Keystone Plastic Solutions as well.
Foster youth who age out of the system face increased likelihood of unemployment, substance abuse, mental health issues, and homelessness. Lacking strong support networks, 40% of them land on the street. Summit Steps envisions a world where foster youth can heal from their past and step into a future of hope and opportunities. The program will offer comprehensive job training and placement program for high demand industries such as construction and health care. Utilizing a series of partnerships, the organization would combine job placement with career counseling, mentorship, and wraparound services to provide a stable platform for young people exiting the system. The Summit Steps team included senior business administration major Emerie Cantrell, senior accounting major Blen Teklemariam, junior biochemistry major Joy Maina, and junior business administration (finance) major Greg Torres-Uhler.
Lake Atitlán is one of Guatemala’s most iconic sites, but over 3,000 metric tons of plastic are choking its waters each year. Keystone Plastic Solutions (KPS) proposes a comprehensive approach to tackle this crisis through a scalable, community-driven waste management system. In partnership with Atitlán Recicla (a women-led recycling co-op in the Lake Atitlán region) and Max-R (a global leader in recycled products), KPS would develop a recycling system in the villages surrounding the lake. Collected materials would be converted by Max-R into bins, tables, chairs, and other products. Keystone Plastic Solutions consisted of sophomore business administration (finance) major Joel Leiva, junior international sustainable development majors Yahir Parra and Ezra Drivdahl, senior politics, philosophy, and economics major Jack Wiebe, junior applied human biology major Anthony Hernandez, and junior computer science major Yahya Ouchcheny.
Three Honorable Mention prizes of $2,500 were also awarded:
- The average Alaskan resident has a carbon footprint more than three times higher than that of other U.S. citizens. This is due in part to the state’s long, cold winters, and the fact that most buildings are heated using fossil fuels. GeoHarness would market, distribute, and install geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) — a far cleaner and more sustainable heating solution, to commercial clients in Alaska, with a goal of advancing into the residential market over time. GeoHarness was the work of senior economics and political science double-major Audrey Rekedal, senior business administration major Amelia Pape, senior ecology major Emma Ely, and senior mechanical engineering major Megan Rouse.
- Shangri-Lokta would serve as a market intermediary for Nepalese artisans who make lokta paper goods from sustainable sources, helping to preserve the art of lokta paper making by selling notebooks and other paper products to U.S. consumers. Lokta paper is sustainable and ecologically friendly, because it is made from the fast-growing Daphne shrub rather than from trees. The Shangri-Lokta team included senior economics major Appu Rijal, senior business administration and philosophy double major Jared Yost, and senior business administration majors Reem Altwain, Yoh Kwano Yoku, and Michael Orellana.
- Because foreign businesses dominate the tourism industry, money is drained from local economies, even by well-meaning visitors. The Village Artisan Guest House creates an innovative and ethical alternative for travelers who desire to make a lasting social impact by investing their dollars directly into the local economy. Starting with a 24-guest inn in Amman, Jordan, the company would partner with local artisans, tour guides, and interpreters to provide high-touch service to study abroad programs and culturally sensitive travelers, eventually branching out to open locations in other countries and cities around the world. The Village Artisan Guest House business plan was written by senior ecology and global development double major Elizabeth Horton. Julia Lats, a senior economics and sociology double major helped pitch the business idea at the Showcase.
Fifteen teams presented their business ideas at the showcase event, comprising approximately 60 students. In the first round of the competition, an initial wave of 16 written business plans, representing students from six different schools, were read, reviewed, and scored by community partners.
The Showcase Round was the finale of the SVPC. Earlier stages in the competition included a series of seminars on the basics of writing a business plan as well as coaching sessions with knowledgeable company and nonprofit executives and others. In all, over 120 community volunteers gave time as readers, instructors, coaches, and judges.
Executive coach and first-time SVPC judge Darrell Kirk observed, “With all that’s going on in the world right now, people need to know that incredible events like this are making a difference in the world. I’m so inspired seeing these students and their passion for doing good in the world. The future of America is in good hands.”
Even those who did not win a cash prize found the experience rewarding. Danny Pham, a senior computer engineering major commented, “It was a let down not to win, but the learning experience made it all worth it.”
Financial sponsors of the SVPC include:
- Herbert B. Jones Foundation
- Scott and Kathleen Cummins Family Foundation
- Kathryn and Tim Carlson
- Northwest Center
- Tschetter Group
- Charles Schwab – Bellevue
- Highland Private Wealth Management
- Pioneer Human Services, and Skills, Inc.
The competition is organized by the Burton and Ralene Walls Center for Applied Learning (CAL) in SPU’s School of Business, Government, and Economics.
