Classy Expands Collaborative & Awards, Sets Sights on Boston for 2016 Social Innovation Showcase
The sixth-annual event, produced in partnership with the United Nations Foundation, convenes thought leaders and decision-makers tackling the world’s greatest challenges
SAN DIEGO, CA and BOSTON, MA – October 22, 2015 — Today Classy announced the 6th Annual Collaborative and Classy Awards will be moving from its San Diego location to Boston’s Seaport Innovation District, taking place June 14-16, 2016. The Collaborative, in partnership with the United Nations Foundation, is a biennial, three-day experience that convenes top leadership from across the social sector and showcases the most innovative solutions to today’s global problems. The event culminates with the Classy Awards ceremony, the most prestigious award of its kind recognizing excellence in social innovation.
“Boston is a city known for its creative ideas, technological advancements and a deep-rooted history of driving social change. As we continue to establish ourselves as a global hub for social innovation, we are proud to host the 2016 Collaborative,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “The Collaborative will showcase innovative programs and technologies that are helping address our greatest challenges – from education to public safety, economic opportunity to sustainable development – and we’re excited to welcome this experience to the city of Boston.”
The Collaborative convenes an array of thought leaders and experts in the social sector, including top NGOs, international agencies, institutional investors, social entrepreneurs, philanthropists and academics. Classy has also announced it will be expanding the Collaborative portion of the experience, to include curated sessions, debates and a strong emphasis on product showcases.
Programs featured at the Collaborative and recognized by the Classy Awards address a wide variety of pressing global issues such as resilient cities, early health detection, agriculture technologies and criminal justice reform. Last year, more than 3,600 programs in 115 countries worldwide were evaluated for participation. Classy Awards winners are then selected from those programs through a rigorous, data-driven evaluation process by the Leadership Council, a diverse 100-person panel comprised of executives and subject matter experts from organizations such as the World Bank, UNICEF, International Medical Corps, Teach for America, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Human Rights Campaign, Virgin Group, World Wildlife Fund, Goodwill Industries, National Geographic, CARE USA, Oxfam America, ASPCA and more.
“Individuals and organizations are developing creative strategies and technologies to combat some of our greatest challenges. The recent announcement of the Sustainable Development Goals has placed a heightened international focus on these challenges, and emphasizes the need to build greater transparency and visibility into emerging solutions,” said Classy Co-founder Pat Walsh. “We designed the Collaborative to shed light on those solutions, and connect them with key influencers, media and investors in the sector.”
The event’s new venue, “The Warehouse” at Cruiseport Boston, is a historic World War I era warehouse recently renovated by the Massachusetts Port Authority. Classy is also partnering with two important community organizations to execute this year’s event – the Kendall Square Association, an association representing the Kendall Square business community, and City Awake, a Boston social enterprise Hub.
About Classy
Classy is a technology company that helps organizations mobilize their community to solve social problems more effectively and efficiently. Since launching in 2011, Classy has helped more than 1,800 social enterprises including Oxfam, The World Food Programme and National Geographic to raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Classy also hosts the Collaborative and Classy Awards to recognize excellence in social innovation. Based in San Diego, CA, Classy employs a staff of 130 people and is backed by investors including Mithril and Salesforce Ventures. For more information, visit www.classy.org or follow Classy on Twitter: @Classy.
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