About

COOP PITCH

Competition for youth to pitch new and sustainable enterprising ideas on cooperatives.

Live in Sabah | Jul 27-30, 2023

Innovative Ideas from Past Coop Pitch

Himalayan Hemp Cooperative

Hemp-based sanitary products: The team behind Himalayan Hemp Cooperative won the second prize at the Coop Pitch in APCYS 3.0 and is a socio-ecological community of artisans, farmers and innovators who are working on preserving the indigenous variety of cannabis and hemp plants and community practices associated with the plant in the Himalayas. They had also produced the world’s first cannabis hemp fibre-based reusable sanitary pads and India’s only N95 hemp mask

Lamac Multipurpose Co-operative

Youth Engagement in Organic Farm Tourism: Justine Limocon and Kevin Palson from Lamac Multipurpose Co-operative won the first prize at the Coop Pitch in APCYS 1.0. Taking it forward, they created thriving organic farming facilities including cacao production, coir products, rice plantations etc. The Lamac’s Hidden Valley Mountain Resort was the venue for the APCYS 2.0!

Experiential Tourism at the Herbal Cooperative

Trinh Thi Ly of the Sinh Duoc Herbal Cooperative, Vietnam pitched to develop the cooperative ecosystem around their herbal cooperative by adding experiential tourism (herb, place, living).

Solar Energy Production and Direct Distribution to Individual Households

Ng Jun Long from Singapore representing Skyla Energy Cooperative won the first prize with this idea at the Coop Pitch in APCYS 2.0.

Green Drone-enabled Agriculture Network

Mifly Airline Cooperative from China pitched to build an agriculture network using drones for multiple purposes including crop-dusting and spraying seeds.

Cooperative (or Coop) Pitch, the most exciting part of APCYS, is a competition for youth to pitch new and sustainable enterprising ideas on cooperatives. Participants pitch cooperative business solutions catering to the needs and aspirations of the youth and community in their country. They get the opportunity for mentoring support from global cooperative experts, peer reviews, and seed funding to kick-start their cooperative projects that have the potential to create significant impact and promote sustainable development.

 

Coop Pitch will provide a platform for youth to understand high-impact activities undertaken by cooperatives in the Asia-Pacific region, discuss the merits of the values-based cooperative model, provide them with access to relatable examples, young cooperators and replicable models which can serve as the inspiration to more such youth-led projects to be established in the region. 

Competition format

What is a pitch?

To Pitch (verb) is making a bid to obtain a contract or other business! A Pitch typically takes the form of an entrepreneur or group of entrepreneurs presenting or describing their ideas to prospective investors. An elevator pitch is a very short pitch that distils the idea into a summary that takes only as long as a short elevator ride.

  • Thumb rule: One organization – One pitch
  • Communicate to participants from your organization/country and build a team of two to five members.
  • All ideas must be driven by cooperative identity. In 1995, the ICA adopted the revised Statement on the Cooperative Identity containing the definition of a cooperative, the values of cooperatives, and the seven cooperative principles. For more information, read here.
  • Self Help & Mutual Benefit should be the driving force of the ideas being pitched and should include youth.
  • Impact analysis: The Pitch must be able to ascertain at least one innovative element of socio-economic and cultural impact in the enterprise model.

Evaluation Criteria

  • Business model and timeline
  • Simplicity of cooperative enterprise model
  • Method of structuring and management of members and staff in a principle-based enterprise.
  • Growth goals (after a year)
  • Cooperative principle embodiment
  • Team and mentor evolution

Coop Pitch Schedule

20

May

Registrations close

07

June

Orientation session for shortlisted teams with mentors

7-16

June

Mentoring sessions (will be scheduled)

18

June

Coop Pitch Submission

23

June

Communication to finalists 

27-29

July

Finalists’ Introduction with APCYS 4.0 Participants in Sabah, Malaysia + Mentoring and Networking Sessions

30

July

Coop Pitch Finale

Judges

Coming Soon!

Frequently Asked Questions

How can we participate in Coop Pitch?

To participate in the Coop Pitch, APCYS 4.0 registration is mandatory. After registering for APCYS 4.0, the participants are advised to read all the competition details, prepare their answers offline and then apply online for the competition before the deadline. Please do not wait till the last date, 20 May 2023 and apply well in advance.

What  are the eligibility criteria to participate in Coop Pitch?

Teams of two to five members each are expected to apply for the coop pitch competition. The group can comprise of young cooperators, college students, representatives of ICA members, civil society organisations, and social entrepreneurs. The groups are not limited to these and participants having diverse professional and academic backgrounds and skillsets are welcome. What matters the most is your commitment to making an impact and your willingness to collaborate.

I don’t have a team; can I still participate?

Yes, if you do not have a team yet, we would encourage you to apply individually.

What do the winning teams get?

The top 3 winners will receive prize money of USD 3,000 (1st – USD 1,500; 2nd – USD 1,000; 3rd – USD 500), organizational support and direct access to key partners to further develop, validate and implement coop models developed.

Have any more questions?

Feel free to email us at contact@apyouthsummit.coop if you have any questions or concerns!