Social Venture Partners Tampa Bay announces 2018 Fast Pitch event

If you weren’t one of the 450 attendees of last year’s inaugural Fast Pitch event, you missed a night of community, innovation and philanthropy. Thirteen nonprofits took to the stage of University of Tampa’s Fletcher Lounge to pitch their social enterprise to a panel of five local judges from around the bay, including Phil Casey, Joe Hamilton, Rochelle Freidman Walk, Tom Wallace and James Tully, for a chance at $60,000 in cash prizes.

Not everyone walked away with cash that night – but most teams gain much more from participating in the event, including access to a new network of sponsors, board members and a community awareness of what they mean for Tampa Bay.

Teams were chosen after participating in SVP’s business accelerator program, a six-week social enterprise business “boot camp.” Each team is paired with with a business mentor to hone their business plan and strategy, as well as nail down their “pitch” in three minutes. Our partners bring a vast array of skills from all backgrounds, and they bring that knowledge to our accelerator program as they guide the groups through the program.

This year’s accelerator application period will open on June 1, and close on July 1; our Fast Pitch will be held Oct. 25 at the Palladium. Nonprofits with a social enterprise (or an idea for one) are encouraged to apply online. Stay up-to-date on important dates by following us on facebook, or joining our mailing list on our website www.svptampabay.org

Social Venture Partners Tampa Bay is a group of engaged philanthropists who want to do more and be more in the Tampa Bay community, by getting involved with a hands-on approach to giving. SVP Tampa Bay gets real outcomes from addressing real issues right here in our community. Our partner roster boasts talent from all all aspects of life, and brings an incredible array of skills to the table, from nonprofit management, to business strategyto marketing.

SVP Tampa Bay looks forward to what 2018’s accelerator and Fast Pitch have in store for Tampa Bay!

To learn more please email svptampabay@gmail.com