D-Prize Challenge 2022

D-Prize seeds new ventures that distribute proven poverty interventions.

The world has already invented products and services to end poverty. Yet we have found many proven interventions with large delivery gaps. Millions of people still don’t have access to basic poverty-fighting tools.

Can you design a new business or NGO that delivers a proven poverty intervention at scale? Submit your design for a new organization that solves one of our Distribution Challenges below. We will award the most promising teams with up to $20,000 USD to launch their new organization wherever extreme poverty exists.

Who Should Apply?

You should have enormous ambition and can imagine yourself as a successful entrepreneur. You are ready to launch your new venture, and if a pilot proves successful you are excited to grow it into a world-changing organization.
If you are still a student or have existing commitments, you should have a clear idea of how to transition into a full-time founder.
D-Prize is exclusively interested in ventures that will scale the distribution of an already proven poverty intervention in the developing world. We do not fund prototypes of promising new interventions. Please respond to one of our distribution challenges found at this link.

Timeline

Select a challenge above and be prepared for the following deadlines:

• The Global Competition launches on September 5, 2022.

• Early Submission Deadline: October 16, 2022 at midnight PT (pacific time)

• Regular Submission Deadline: November 6, 2022 at midnight PT (pacific time)

• Extension Deadline: November 27, 2022 at midnight PT (pacific time)

Register for an extension.

Evaluation process

• ROUND 1
  Submit your concept note and resume(s). We generally receive 1700 submissions per competition.
• ROUND 2
  Top 5% of entrepreneurs are invited to answer short written questions. You will have two weeks to draft and submit.
• FINAL ROUND
  Top entrepreneurs interview via phone and email. The top 1% will receive up to $20,000 to launch.
• LAUNCH
  You will spend the next three months using your talent to start a venture that can grow and help millions of people.

Eligibility

D-Prize is for aspiring entrepreneurs from anywhere in the world, of any age, and any background. The majority of our awardees have not launched nor raised any funding.

We will consider funding existing organizations only if you are distributing an existing intervention and you have a need for high-risk capital that cannot be supported by your current donors or revenue.

Existing organizations applying to D-Prize should have operated for no more than 18 months and raised no more than $30,000 in outside funding.

We apologize, but at this time we are only able to evaluate applications submitted in English. However, your English does not need to be perfect to apply, and grammar and vocabulary errors will not be penalized. We only want to understand your idea.