Students of Global Impact — Social Startup Championship

Students of Global Impact — Social Startup Championship is India's largest student-driven nation-building initiative, presented by IFSPD Europe (Special Consultative Status, United Nations ECOSOC). Student founders design and execute a real-world action project addressing a UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of their choice — not a hypothetical pitch, but a project actually carried out and independently verified.

Every founder who registers and submits a verified project is certified. Verified founders earn points and badges as they progress through levels — Founder → Rising Founder → District → State → National → Global Founder. Founders who reach the top levels are invited to a fully funded, 3-day residential summit, where they compete for national awards and a university certification.

Who Should Apply

• Open to all students aged 12–21, studying at a recognised school or college in India
• Undergraduate, postgraduate, engineering, management, arts/commerce/sciences, law, medical, and school students
• Individual or team entries (1–4 members)
• No prior experience required

Team rules

• All team members must belong to the same college and the same field of specialisation
• Inter-college and inter-specialisation teams are not permitted
• One project per founder/team; the project must be original and not submitted elsewhere

Format & process

1. Register for a Founder Pass at PortAhead.com
2. Select one real-world problem aligned to any UN SDG and execute the project
3. Submit for review — impact is independently auditor-verified (self-reported claims alone are not accepted)
4. Earn points/badges and progress through the levels on a rolling basis after verification

There are no fixed problem statements or timed rounds. The project execution and submission window runs until 30 September 2026.

What you get

• Official certification as a Founder for every verified applicant
• Points and badges across five progression levels
• Top-level founders invited to a fully funded 3-day residential summit (meals, stay, and networking included)
• National recognition and a university certificate programme for winners

Rules

• Project must be demonstrably linked to at least one UN SDG
• Founder Pass registration at PortAhead.com is mandatory before submission
• Fabricated evidence, plagiarism, or misrepresentation leads to disqualification
• Decisions of the IFSPD Europe evaluation and auditing panel are final
• Registration and project submission must be completed by 30 September 2026

How to Apply Get your Founder Pass at https://portahead.com/register before 30 September 2026.