Global social venture competition · Grades 6 to 12

Pitch an idea that does good and keeps going.

Pitch for Progress is a global competition where students pitch a social venture: a business where doing good is part of how it runs. Winners travel to Korea with a parent, meet people working in their field, and keep building with a mentor after they go home.

Explore the themes How it works

Applications open TBD: open date

01 · About

A competition for ideas that pay their own way.

A social venture is a business built around a problem worth solving. The good it does is part of how it runs, so it keeps working without waiting for the next donation.

Who
Grades 6 to 12
Where
Open worldwide
Themes
6, plus your own
Winners
Travel to Korea

A charity

Does good, and depends on donations to keep going.

A regular business

Earns money. Any good it does sits on the side.

A social venture

Earns its keep by doing the good. That is what Pitch for Progress asks you to bring.

02 · How it works

Five rounds, from idea to Korea and beyond.

Every venture grows in rounds. Yours starts with an idea and keeps going after the trip.

  1. Pre-seed

    Pick a theme

    Choose one of six themes, or bring your own startup under Other. Each theme has guiding questions to help you see where your idea fits.

  2. Seed

    Submit one proposal

    Send a single business proposal: who is on your team, a written plan, and a short video. Same format for every theme.

    See what to submit

  3. Series A

    Get selected

    Every proposal is read and reviewed.

    Reviewers TBD · Interview round TBD · Number of rounds TBD

  4. Series B

    Come to Korea

    Selected students travel to Korea with one parent. Flights and stay are covered.

    Program dates TBD

  5. Scale

    Keep working with a mentor

    After the program, you keep working with a mentor from your field to move the venture forward.

    Mentoring period TBD

The round names describe your journey. The number of judging rounds is TBD

03 · Themes

Six themes. Find where your idea fits.

The questions are prompts, not rules. Use them to start thinking, then pitch the venture you actually believe in.

Theme 01

Health & Bio

Guiding questions

  1. A lot of people around you put off seeing a doctor or dentist because it's expensive, confusing, or hard to reach. What venture could make one kind of care easier to get, and who would pay for it?
  2. What health problem do people your age deal with that nobody is really solving? What would you build, and how would it keep going?

Who's in the room

  • FounderBuilt a clinic group, then used surgery data to build an AI tool
  • FounderDentist who turned a treatment into a tech company
  • DoctorDoctor who started a bio company
  • ExecutiveLeads a bio company
  • OperatorTook K-beauty retail to the US

Mentors are being confirmed. Names will be announced TBD

Theme 02

Entertainment, Media & Sports

Guiding questions

  1. Talent is everywhere, but chances to be seen aren't. What venture could help kids in your area get a real shot in music, sports, film, or webtoons, and how would it support itself?
  2. Pick a story, sport, or kind of content that could change how people see an issue near you. How would you build something around it that people would pay for or join?

Who's in the room

  • ExecutiveRuns an entertainment company
  • PublisherPublishes webtoons and web novels
  • CreatorFilm director
  • AthleteProfessional golfer
  • AthleteProfessional basketball player

Mentors are being confirmed. Names will be announced TBD

Theme 03

Beauty, Fashion & Lifestyle

Guiding questions

  1. Think about something people near you buy every day, like clothes, skincare, or stuff for their home. How could you make it better for people or the planet, and still have customers want it?
  2. Who gets left out by the products in stores near you? What would you make for them, and how would you sell it?
  3. How can the beauty industry promote self-love and respect for every body shape, and push back against lookism?

Who's in the room

  • ExecutiveRuns a cosmetics business
  • RetailWorks in fashion retail
  • FounderRuns a home and lifestyle platform
  • OperatorTook K-beauty retail to the US

Mentors are being confirmed. Names will be announced TBD

Theme 04

Community & Social Innovation

Guiding questions

  1. Who in your neighborhood gets overlooked, like older people, newcomers, or kids who are struggling? What could you build to reach them that keeps running without depending on donations?
  2. Pick something your community is losing, like local food, a tradition, or a place people meet. How could a venture keep it alive?

Who's in the room

  • BackerFinds and backs social innovators
  • FounderRuns a mental health venture
  • ChefChef and farmer who built a business around local food
  • TBD: fourth mentor

Mentors are being confirmed. Names will be announced TBD

Theme 05

Startups & Investment

Guiding questions

  1. What's a problem at your school or in your town that you'd actually pay to have solved? Pitch a venture that fixes it and does some good along the way.
  2. Many people your age never learn how money works. What venture could change that, and how would it pay for itself?

Who's in the room

  • InvestorInvests in early startups
  • InvestorVenture capital investor
  • FounderStartup founder
  • FounderCoupang co-founder, now leads brand and impact at Dunamu

Mentors are being confirmed. Names will be announced TBD

Theme 06

Tech, Environment & Future Industries

Guiding questions

  1. What's thrown away or wasted near you that could be turned into something useful? What would you build, and who would buy it?
  2. Pick a piece of tech, like an app, a sensor, or a simple machine, that could fix a real problem near you. How would it work, and how would it keep going?

Who's in the room

  • IndustryWorks in metals and resource recycling
  • IndustryWorks in aerospace materials
  • FounderBuilds laser technology
  • FounderBuilds education technology

Mentors are being confirmed. Names will be announced TBD

Open category

Other

Already running your own startup? Submit it here. We will do our best to match your business with experts in its field.

04 · What you submit

One proposal. One format for every theme.

Part 1

Your team

Who you are, and who does what.

Team size TBD

Part 2

Written proposal

The problem, your venture, who pays for it, and how it keeps going.

Length TBD

Part 3

Video pitch

A short video where you pitch the idea in your own words.

Length TBD

How to submit TBD · Proposal template TBD · Judging criteria TBD

05 · What winners get

A trip, real people, and help after.

Term sheet · Pitch for Progress 2026

Travel to Korea
Student + one parent
Flights and stay
Covered
Time with people in your field
Founders, doctors, creators, athletes, and investors
Mentoring
After the program
Trip length
TBD
Dates
TBD
Winners per theme
TBD
Students traveling to Korea
TBD

Pitch for Progress · Boarding pass

IDEAYour town
ICNSeoul
Passenger
Student + one parent
Class
Founder
Date
TBD

Press and hold. What winners get lights up on the term sheet.

06 · Why Korea

Korea solved some problems its own way. Come see how, up close.

Open to students in every region. Winners all travel to the same place.

Stories that travel

Webtoons and Korean entertainment grew from a local audience into a global one.

Beauty for the world

Korean skincare built a following far beyond Korea, and retailers carried it into the US.

Waste into resources

Korean companies recover metals and materials that would otherwise be thrown away.

Care and tech together

Doctors and dentists here have turned their own clinical work into technology companies.

Program schedule and visits TBD

07 · For parents

What to know before your child applies.

You travel together

One parent travels with the student. Flights and stay are covered for both of you.

Safety

TBD: supervision during the program, emergency contacts, insurance

Who runs Pitch for Progress

TBD: organizing body and the team behind it

Your child's information

TBD: what is collected, who can see it, how long it is kept, how to request deletion

08 · Key dates

Timeline

  1. Applications openTBD
  2. Applications closeTBD
  3. Winners notifiedTBD
  4. Program in KoreaTBD
  5. Mentoring periodTBD

09 · FAQ

Questions, answered.

Who can apply?

Students in grades 6 to 12, from anywhere in the world.

Do I need a business that is already running?

No. An idea is enough. If you already run a startup, you can submit it under Other.

Can I apply with a team?

Every proposal includes a description of the team. Team size TBD · Solo entries TBD

How many proposals can I submit?

One. Pick the theme that fits your idea best.

Does it cost anything to apply?

TBD

What is covered if I am selected?

Flights and stay in Korea for the student and one parent. Other costs, such as meals, local travel, and visas TBD

What language should the proposal be in?

TBD

How are proposals judged?

Reviewers TBD · Criteria TBD · Interview round TBD · Number of rounds TBD

How many students are selected?

TBD

When will I hear back?

TBD

Apply

Start with one idea.

Applications open TBD: open date and close TBD: close date

Application form TBD: link Review the themes

Questions? Email TBD: contact email