Bionews

About SEVEN
Foreign economic and government programs have spent billions of dollars during the past five decades to alleviate the high number of people living in poverty. No country has been lifted out of poverty as a result of these efforts, but the mindset remains the same: aid programs are the key to poverty alleviation. Entrepreneurship as a solution to eradicate poverty (i.e. a focus on wealth creation rather than poverty reduction via re-distribution and government programs), remains controversial because it goes against the mindset that solutions to public problems come from the government rather than from the private sector. The notion of creating wealth is often stigmatized as “exploiting the poor;” and businessmen in developing nations are sometimes regarded as too self-interested to be a force for positive social change.

At the core of the approach to poverty alleviation is the basic question: Are individual persons, no matter where they live, able to determine their own future? Does positive change come from the ingenuity of the individual or does a group of us have to tell the rest what to do? The answer to these questions goes to the core of our view of how we see the person, as fatalistic or self-determined; and it determines whether our proposed solution to an issue like poverty involves a “top-down” approach or a “bottom-up” solution. Indeed, to what extent do we rest the locus of responsibility for a person’s future on him or her; or on others, out of their beneficence?

SEVEN (The Social Equity Venture Fund) is an independent nonprofit organization1 supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. We provide monetary, organizational, and intellectual support for the research of enterprise based solutions to poverty, in accord with the SEVEN Fund Bylaws. The SEVEN Board provides the leadership, and a variety of qualified jurors make funding decisions.

The Fund’s activities are enhanced by the active participation of its SEVEN Fund Members. SEVEN Fund Membership consists of all researchers funded by the Fund, as well as researchers with membership granted by the SEVEN principals via invitation or application. The aim of SEVEN Fund programs is to challenge the prevailing mindset in the fight against poverty. We want to stimulate discussion around the questions of whether wealth-creation may be the most effective solution to alleviate poverty. We invest our efforts and resources to discuss, find, research, and document examples where entrepreneurial success is shown to have led to poverty alleviation. In the process, we support entrepreneurs in developing countries with case studies, mentorship programs and publicity and services that help them succeed at what they do.

Questions & Answers:

What is the essay question?
The essay question for both the undergraduate and the graduate student essay competition is: “Poverty can be regarded as a matter of exclusion from networks of productivity, and not simply as having an unequal portion of what is imagined to be a fixed number of economic goods. In that sense, ending worldwide poverty is serious business. Describe enterprise based solutions to poverty in this context.”

How do I submit my essay?
Submit your essay electronically in a MS Word or PDF format only.
For undergraduate student competition: ugessay@sevenfund.org
For graduate student competition: gessay@sevenfund.org
Every essay MUST, in addition to the actual essay, include a 100 word abstract at the beginning of the
document. Along with the submission, you need to include the following information:
* Your full name and mailing address, a contact telephone number and your academic email.
*Your degree-level and field of study.
*Your University’s name, official address and main telephone number; and the name, phone number and
email address of someone we may contact at the university (Faculty member, Department Chair, or
registrar) to verify that you are enrolled as a full time student.

Does SEVEN have a preferred philosophical or scientific agenda?
We see a number of experts who opine about poverty and prosperity: i.e., macroeconomists, businessmen, educators, political scientists, social scientists, etc. We rarely see enough integration, where the experts of one domain borrow insights from another, and attempt to create an even more robust intellectual framework. We intend to foster this kind of integration, at the level of thought leader and practitioner.

Who qualifies to compete in the SEVEN Fund Student Essay Competition?
Any full time student who studies at an accredited educational institution worldwide2 may submit a 2000 word Essay in English to compete in the SEVEN Fund competition as long as the essay reflects the scope and 2 Except for nations under US embargo guidelines stated in the call for essays. The winning students will be required to enter into a contract with SEVEN prior to final award. We welcome applicants from every field of study.

How long should the essay be?
Essays may not exceed 2000 words and must be written in English. Students may write an essay of less than 2000 words. Do not forget that you MUST submit a 100 word abstract along with your essay.

What is the 100 word abstract?
We ask you to submit, along with your essay a 100 word abstract which states the essence of what your paper is about. This is a very useful process for both the writer and the reader as it forces the writer to concisely state his or her point and it allows the reader to enter the reading of the essay with a better understanding of the idea and subject matter.

Do Undergrad and Graduate Students compete with each other?
No, Undergraduate and Graduate Students, while writing on the same question, compete in separate groups.

Are there any restrictions on the prize money? What may the prize money be used for?
The prize money is intended for use at an accredited academic institution for the winning student’s education. SEVEN will release the money directly to the educational institution or a student loan provider, not directly to the wining student.

How will essays be judged?
All essays that comply with the call for essay rules will undergo a competitive process of a confidential jury review. Expert SEVEN Fund jurors will evaluate and rank the essays according to the criteria described in the call for essays. The winning students will be required to enter into a contract with SEVEN prior to final award.

Can I submit multiple essays?
No, each student may only submit one essay.

Can I collaborate with another student?
You may decide to submit an essay together with another student, but the prize money is per essay, not per student. The two (or more) of you would share the prize.

What if I am unable to submit my application electronically?
Only applications submitted through this form on our website are accepted. If you encounter problems, please contact SEVEN at info@sevenfund.org

How is SEVEN financed?
This call for essays is supported initially by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation. SEVEN intends to run a version of this essay competition annually.

What sort of legal organization is SEVEN?
SEVEN is a non-profit corporation under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. An application for recognition as a 501 (c) (3) organization was filed in June 2007.

Who is SEVEN? How is SEVEN administered and run?
SEVEN is primarily managed by two people, Andreas Widmer and Michael Fairbanks, bios attached. They are co-directors with different experiences in the high-tech industry and development, respectively. They founded and ran the only venture-backed firm in the USA to focus on selling software and strategic consulting services to developing nations. There is a board of advisors, and a board of directors with vast experience in global markets, advisory work, and enterprise solutions to poverty.

What if I have additional questions?
You may send your questions to info@sevenfund.org
Important Dates
* Inaugural SEVEN Fund Call for Essays: Saturday, September 7, 2007
* Deadline for Essay submission: Midnight Eastern Standard Time, Friday, December 7, 2007
* SEVEN Fund Essay Award Announcements: Thursday, February 7, 2008
Acceptable use of prize monies:
* Full Time Tuition
* University/School Housing (only if it is to be paid directly to the University or School)
* Payment against Student Loans