San Diego CA— Mission Edge’s City SAIL (Social Enterprise Accelerator and Impact Lab) Final Pitch Event will showcase 10 San Diego based social enterprises. Entrepreneurs will each deliver a five minute pitch at Gaslamp’s Revel Revel on Tuesday, July 16th from 6:00-8:00PM. Sponsored by the City of San Diego, participating organizations represent a variety of social missions ranging from youth and women’s empowerment to combating health issues and promoting the arts. At the event, the entrepreneurs will pitch their social enterprises to a room of potential investors, donors, community members, and a panel of expert judges in hopes of winning first place and a cash prize. The event is free and open to the public, and guests can RSVP here.
The organizations who completed the nine-week program include:
- Autism Proximal Innovations
- Breaking the Silence Together
- Kim Center for Social Balance
- Launching Legacies
- The PGK Project
- Champions for Total Health
- Sunlight Retreats
- Skinny Gene Project
- UWEAST
- Via International
Mission Edge’s City SAIL program, in partnership with the City of San Diego, is designed to equip mission-driven organizations within San Diego city limits with the strategy and skills necessary to develop sustainable, revenue-based business models that accelerate social impact and promote economic and workforce development. Community Development Program Manager at the City of San Diego, Stephen Maduli-Williams says that “The City of San Diego is proud to support the SAIL program. As the City embraces inclusive Economic Development, the SAIL program is a unique opportunity to invest in the very businesses that form the backbone of San Diego communities. SAIL will provide much needed mentoring and support to business that otherwise would be left to fend for themselves.”
The cohort has attended 5 in-person modules and worked alongside expert mentors to master topics ranging from business model validation and financial modeling to professional pitch training. Participant Erika Walters, Founder of Launching Legacies, says, “When I started City SAIL I knew our company needed to pivot to have a more sustainable financial model, but we did not know how that was possible. The mentors, guest speakers, and content helped me think differently about business management, understand next steps, and design a plan for true sustainability.” In culmination of the program, the final pitch event is ultimately a chance for the cohort to showcase their newly developed business models and engage with potential investors, donors, and customers.
City SAIL is funded in whole or in part with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program funds provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to the City of San Diego. Additional City SAIL support is provided by the generosity of Qualcomm Inc. and Cox Communications.