San Diego CA— After being declared the winner of Mission Edge’s SAIL (Social Enterprise Accelerator and Impact Lab) Final Pitch Event, Wesley House Student Residence was able to more than triple their award funding from the $2,500 prize received at the event. Wesley House, a nonprofit that provides safe and affordable housing and support services for low-income and first generation college students, was contacted by an anonymous donor who agreed to match a donation of $2,500 if the organization fundraised that same amount following the event. As of June 12th, Wesley House Student Residence surpassed that amount and fundraised $3225, equating to $8,225 in total.
Nicole Marquel, Director of Development at Wesley House, stated “The Final Pitch Event was so valuable as it provided a public platform to present our social impact model to a wide audience and gain feedback from judges and community members within various industries.”
With a live audience of over 120 people, including entrepreneurs, investors, and donors, the SAIL Final Pitch Event is not necessarily about the winning prize, but rather the exposure, connections, and opportunities that arise with the audience members. Wesley House proved this with their fundraising success following the event.
This was the third cohort of Mission Edge’s SAIL program, empowering mission-driven organizations to develop sustainable business models based on earned revenue. SAIL provides a rich curriculum with workshops, lectures and mentorships that help social entrepreneurs build, test, and launch their ideas. Currently, Mission Edge is running City SAIL, a social impact accelerator in partnership with the City of San Diego, focused on economic and workforce development. The cohort consists of 10 mission-driven organizations operating within San Diego city limits. The City SAIL final pitch event is scheduled to take place on July 16th.
SAIL is sponsored by Qualcomm Incorporated, The San Diego Foundation, Mitchell International, Union Bank, Cox, and Procopio. To learn more about SAIL, visit missionedge.org/labs or contact us at sail@missionedge.org.