The GenH Challenge was Johnson & Johnson's first-ever social venture pitch competition. The team was committed to providing value for every participant and fostering novel thinking and conversation among unlikely partners, to survey the potential for entrepreneurship and the value of insights from the front lines, those at the “heart of care,” to inspire the next big idea.
Of the more than 1,000 participants from 74 countries who registered, approximately half were nonprofit organizations and the other half were for-profit companies. Carrot managed more than 300 submissions for project-based proposed to take place in 54 countries spanning six continents.
Six teams received funding as GenH Challenge winners and had the opportunity to pitch their ideas to global experts in health and innovation in person at an event in San Francisco. Carrot worked with Johnson & Johnson to coach the Finalist teams. Those teams represented a significant number of talented individuals from the Global South, many of whom were previously unknown to Johnson & Johnson. The results produced a worldwide cohort that has informed Johnson & Johnson’s continued investment in novel and promising solutions.