Fletcher D-Prize

Poverty Solutions Venture Competition

Timeline & Details

Ready to use your entrepreneurial spirit to help tackle poverty? Start designing a new venture that will solve one of the D-Prize challenges and scale up distribution in the developing world.

Ready to design and pitch your venture? Download an application packet

Don’t forget to read our one-page guide on what makes a great proposal and take advantage of the Fletcher Entrepreneur Coaches

Important Dates:

  • Launch: Tuesday, September 24, 2024

  • Pitch to Match Session Wednesday, October 9, 2024: Students come together to share and pitch their poverty venture solution ideas, find teammates and get feedback from Fletcher’s own entrepreneurial coaches in residence and D-Prize venture specialist.

  • First Round: Tues, Nov 12, 2024
    Download an application packet from this website and follow the instructions to draft and submit your idea. You will submit a two-page concept note and resume for each core team member. A team of judges will review and invite the most promising ideas to the next round. Invitations will be sent by Friday, December 6th. You will use winter break to flesh out your plan.

  • Second Round:  Tuesday, January 21, 2025Those invited will receive a second round application packet. You will expand on your concept and draft a full 10 page plan of your new venture. The plan will include an executive summary, a budget, milestones you plan to hit, and your future vision. A team of judges will review and send decisions no later than February 28, 2025.

  • Final Round: February 2025
    The most promising entrepreneurs will have several interviews with judges on the phone. Based on your plan and interview, judges may decide to award you seed capital to launch. Winners will be notified by March 1, 2025

Judging Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated on the following:

  • Commitment and quality: you or your team must be passionate about development, have the skills to build a new organization from scratch, and committed to expanding to a large scale organization.
  • Quality and thoroughness of the social venture plan: good plans are tightly focused on solving one specific problem. Anyone reading your proposal should have a thorough understanding of exactly what your organization will do, and how you will do it.
  • Projected impact: we expect your pilot program will start small, but will then quickly grow and one day help millions of people. We want to understand your plan to grow, and how you will measure your impact over time.
  • Feasibility of post-competition success: a good proposal doesn’t end after three months. We want to see your vision for 6, 12, and 24 months out.

Eligibility

This competition is for current students or graduates of the Fletcher School at Tufts University. Individuals or teams may participate. Your can choose to launch in any developing country, and may decide to operate a for-profit or a non-profit.

Convertible Grant

Funding from D-Prize is offered in the form of a convertible grant. An award given to a for-profit winner may have the option to convert to equity if the company issues stock to other investors in a Series A funding round. An award given to any non-profit winner or to a for-profit winner that does not sell stock in a Series A round will be treated as a grant.

Download More Guidance

Example proposals from past winning ventures: