On November 21, the Pava Center launched its 2024 Social Innovation Lab (SIL) cohort, the largest since its 2012 inception increased from 10 to 15 teams. SIL recognizes and empowers change-makers in the local Baltimore area and is the only Pava Center accelerator open to non-Hopkins affiliates and Johns Hopkins students. The innovations range from youth education highlighting Black history to a parole and reentry program for incarcerated women to an eco-friendly water pollution solution using algae and seaweed.
Cohorts accepted to SIL receive access to a wide network of mentors, advisors, partners, and funders in Baltimore and beyond. Teams who complete the experience are eligible for a $5,000 grant stipend and the opportunity to win a $15,000 cohort prize.
The SIL program continues to grow and received more than 100 applications this year, a testament to cohort testimonials. Over half of accepted community entrepreneurs received direct referrals from last year’s cohort showing the impact previous participants have on the community. Additionally, many founders apply to SIL after attending the bi-annual Impact Bootcamp, designed for social entrepreneurs ready to build or refine their customer discovery strategy and stakeholder map. The experience there is paramount to the excitement of applying to SIL.
This year’s cohort is notably diverse with 90 percent people of color, 70 percent local Baltimore residents, nearly half women, and multiple repeat applicants.
“Our work cannot thrive without Baltimore and its people,” said Sephora Saint-Armand, Assistant Director for the Pava Center. “The demand for our programming grows thanks to our alumni, organizational partners, and many others who champion social entrepreneurship.”
Weekly programming for the cohort will begin in January, with additional monthly Saturday workshops, ‘SuperSaturdays’, where members deep-dive into a theme with hands-on exercises. For six months, cohort participants meet for curated workshops facilitated by SIL staff members or skilled individuals from the network. These sessions cover a broad range of concepts and walks founders through three themes:
- Discover (clarifying the problem and the customer’s interest in their solution),
- Build (refining operational activities including financial planning and accounting), and
- Sell (developing an effective sales strategy).
Session topics include customer discovery with a human-centered design lens, impact measurement and management, operational planning, revenue modeling, and more. Deliverables include strategic goal planning, logic modeling, business model canvassing, pitch decks, and refining financial documents.
Founders are also required to participate in one-on-one meetings with assigned strategic advisors regularly to assess their venture progress. They receive introductions to individuals in our extended network of community and Hopkins partners, alumni, and mentors. By the end of the program, participants are equipped with tools to scale at their own pace with a clear vision.
“Participation in SIL is an immersive, hands-on experience that goes beyond traditional accelerator programs,” said Anthony Watters, Interim Social Innovation Lab Director. It’s a journey of growth, both personally and professionally. The most valuable part of the experience is the connection you build with your fellow cohort members.”
Along with support from SIL staff, the accelerator benefits from two dedicated interns Tashnim Rafa (Bloomberg School of Public Health) and Kudrat Setia (Whiting School of Engineering) who aid in portfolio management, liaising with select founders, and conveying their needs to SIL leadership. They also organize events like the Impact Bootcamp for the Baltimore community and promote the program within the student entrepreneurial community.
“So many show up and volunteer their time for our program participants as mentors, session facilitators, and connectors,” said Saint-Armand. “The parallel work that social entrepreneurial support organizations and other valued contributors do gives non-active members in our cohort an opportunity to still build momentum and find better-suited networks to serve their needs.”
Meet the 2024 SIL Cohort:
- Atwero: Provides assistive devices for a marginalized population in rural Uganda. The aim is to provide better access to improved sanitation facilities for people with disabilities across developing countries.
- B’More Designful: A design studio that bootstraps UX research and design efforts for early-stage startups led by underrepresented founders.
- Coach G Academy: Prepare young girls for post-graduate success with increased self-discipline and leadership through step dance.
- Crayons & Culture: Education solution for underserved youth with a culturally relevant curriculum model and community buy-in.
- CusQuest: A platform that connects skilled tradespeople with customers seeking reliable local services in the Baltimore area.
- Deepnosis: Leverages AI to personalize medication management by predicting adverse drug reactions (ADRs) based on individual health profiles, improving patient safety and outcomes.
- Eloquia: A digital technology that provides effective speech therapy for individuals with speech impediments with real-time, personalized feedback on speech progress.
- Evolving Minds: Workplace mental health solution that creates a culture for healthy and sustainable workforces.
- Financial Joy School: A virtual platform and game company that empowers players to build generational wealth through diverse financial education and investment tools.
- FreeMoneyMeister: Personalized scholarship coaching to help students win external scholarships to minimize student loan debt.
- Green Mechanics Benefit: Ecology-based technology that improves water pollution and other environmental challenges disproportionately impacting underserved communities.
- Jay’s Watermelonade: Beverage start-up on a mission to promote healthy hydration and prevent heart disease in Baltimore through preventative education and nutritious product offerings.
- Nan-e: A wearable that immediately soothes baby’s cries hands-free.
- PREPARE: On a mission to ensure returning citizens have a successful parole experience with holistic reentry plans.
- SMTS Labs: Enhance social media trust and safety by utilizing Gen Z data to detect and prevent the widespread sharing of violent crimes.