Firm News

Kegler Brown is partnering with Columbus Council on World Affairs for a networking luncheon focused on today’s social challenges and the future of our society. Ahmad Ashkar, founder and CEO of the Hult Prize will speak to social impact, how the world’s largest student movement is taking charge to make a difference and the next steps for social entrepreneurship. The luncheon will be held on Tuesday, May 7, in the WOSU room at COSI. The program will begin promptly at noon. Register for the event.

More information on the Hult Prize:

In partnership with former President Clinton and the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), the Hult Prize has created the world’s largest student movement for social impact, dedicated to solving the most pressing social challenges on the planet. Each year, more than 10,000 college and university students from around the world apply to pitch their ideas at one of six regional events that take place in Boston, San Francisco, London, Dubai, Shanghai, and online. Up for grabs is an opportunity to spend the summer in the Hult Accelerator — a world class center for innovation located in Boston. Following the conclusion of their time working in the Hult Accelerator, each of the six winning teams then pitch their start-ups at the annual Clinton Global Initiative meeting, where President Clinton, along with CGI Meeting attendees select and award the winning team with a $1 million prize to make their idea a reality.

Historically, teams crafted social entrepreneurship plans to be implemented by existing NGOs like Habitat for Humanity, Solaraid, and One Laptop Per Child. Responding to urges from President Clinton and micro-lending Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus, teams will now compete to create wholly new organizations, oriented around a topic area selected by President Clinton himself. In 2013, teams are tasked with confronting the Global Food Crisis by addressing issues in distribution, manufacturing, production, technology, etc. The Founder and CEO of the Hult Prize, Ahmad Ashkar, is calling the move "NGO 2.0." He hopes to create a new generation of profit-motive-driven social entrepreneurial start-ups.