Coop Pitch – Background & Information Note

Background and context

The Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society (ULCCS) plans to celebrate its Centenary milestone with an international Conference and associated events in October 2024 at IIM-Kozhikode.

The ICA Domus Trust (IDT) and ULCCS supported by partner organisations are organising a Coop Pitch Competition during the centenary celebrations aimed at cooperative entrepreneurship for generating high social-impact solutions, interest in cooperatives among youth and addressing second generational development challenges in relevant domains where newer models of collectivisation can be nurtured.

The ULCCS – IDT Coop Pitch is envisaged as the first in a series of Coop Pitch events planned by IDT for creating a pool of coop-entrepreneurs and supporting them with continued mentorship for the creation of viable and sustainable cooperative ventures that work toward solving the pressing development challenges faced by humanity at large. Each Coop Pitch will have domains and focus areas which are most relevant to the region as well as the geographic zone that hosts the competition and therefore focusing on replicable, glocal solutions for the Global South.

Programme Details

Venue and Dates : The Coop Pitch competition is organised as a 3 day residential event at the Indian Institute of Management in Kozhikode, Kerala from 16th to 18th October 2024.

Registrations : Registrations along with basic details about the team and pitch idea are to be done on the event website, which will be evaluated and final top 50 selected teams will travel to IIM-K, Kerala for the final competition. The organisers will provide accommodation and local transportation for the final selected teams.

Grant Money : to the tune of Rs. 1 lakh cash prize await the top 3 winning teams!

Mentorship and handholding : The Coop Pitch process includes components of technical support from domain experts, sustained mentorship from cooperative entrepreneurs and several capacity building workshops pertaining to design thinking, technology tools for prototyping, business process innovation etc.

Competition Format

The ULCCS – IDT Coop programme which is planned over 3 days will have 3 stages :

1. Preliminary – about 50 teams (minimum of 100 participants) will participate in the preliminary round
2. Semi final – 25 teams will be short-listed to this round
3. Final round and live public pitching : in the final round 10 teams will pitch live during the final pitching in front of judges, an audience of international delegates, experts etc. 

Focus Themes

The following domains have been identified as the focus areas for the Coop Pitch competition :

1. Agri-tech and safe food
2. Care Economy and Social Sector
3. Platform Cooperatives
4. Sustainability & Green economy
5. Education and Skills

However, we encourage innovative cooperative business ideas and pitches from other domains as well.

Eligibility Criteria

1. Innovative Idea – the proposed pitch or project idea must present a fresh, innovative solution with high social impact potential.
2. Team Composition – Teams must consist of 2 to 5 members, encouraging collaborative effort and diverse skill sets.
3. Embodiment of Cooperative Principles – The project must incorporate cooperative principles and emphasise collectivisation, demonstrating a commitment to values-based and community-focused approaches.

Evaluation Criteria

The submitted pitches will be evaluated on the basis on the following criteria :

1. Business model and timeline
2. Simplicity of cooperative enterprise model
3. Structuring and management of members & staff
4. Growth goals (after 1 year)
5. Embodiment of Cooperative principles
6. Team and mentor evaluation

Why is the Coop Pitch relevant?

The programme holds relevance due to the following factors :

1. Youth Engagement and Empowerment
2. Promotion of Cooperative Values
3. Capacity Building : among collective and cooperative groups
4. Networking and Collaboration: between entrepreneurs working in different domains
5. International exposure: through exchanges of best practices and relatable examples
6. Region-specific and local area Development: The Coop Pitch will aim at providing glocal solutions to developmental challenges
7. Self sufficiency and self-reliance : the pitch will support ideas that aim to promote livelihood generation which will in turn further the ideals self-reliance and self-sufficiency, in pertinent sectors such as food, agriculture, health and social services.

Programme Offerings

As part of the 3 day physical event and the component of follow-up mentorship and incubation support for the finalists, the Coop Pitch offers the following :

1. Focused Workshops : for orienting participants and youth towards building collectives, understanding about the cooperative business model and cooperative principles, design thinking principles and technical inputs based on outlined focus domains etc.
2. Mentorship and follow-up support : The pitch programme encapsulates the key component of a sustained mentorship with a pool of mentors from diverse fields and focus areas who will provide technical support, cooperative management guidance, share best practices and will be available to hand-hold and incubate the Coop Pitch finalists, initially for a period of one-year and provide continued guidance and periodic inputs thereafter towards successful cooperative entrepreneurs.
3. International exchanges and best practices : the programme will establish a platform for sharing international experiences, exchanges and collaboration with international experts and to share best practices and relatable models.

Outputs

1. Creation of cooperative groups and collectives : The competition aims to have the participation of overall 100 teams in the overall competition and continued mentorship , incubation support and capacity building towards 15-20 cooperatives/collectives identified as part of the initiative.
2. Shared Knowledge repository : A compendium of learnings, case studies, and discussions from the event as well as relevant cases exchanged as part of the programme, that can serve as a valuable resource for the participants as well as cooperators worldwide.
3. Entrepreneurial Skills Development : Participants from the Coop Pitch initiative will develop specific skills pertaining to collectivisation and cooperative entrepreneurship.
4. Strengthened Network : Creation of a robust network of young cooperators, mentors, and industry experts who are committed to fostering the cooperative movement.

Outcomes

1. Cooperative Business Ventures Initiated : Tracking the number of actual cooperative businesses or projects that were initiated as a result of the competition.
2. Strengthening Global Cooperation : To foster global collaboration by bringing together cooperative veterans and emerging leaders, facilitating knowledge exchange and best practice sharing.
3. Strategic Partnerships : Forge new partnerships and collaborations between cooperative entities, industry leaders, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to further amplify the cooperative movement’s impact.
4. Tangible Support : Establishment of new, youth-led cooperative ventures that are backed by seed funding, mentorship, and organisational support, ensuring their long-term viability and success.
5. Catalytic Impact : Serving as a catalyst for the inception of several youth-led cooperative ventures, inspiring many more in the process.

With the conference and the Coop Pitch competition, the organisers aim to provide renewed perspective for cooperatives, both new and old, redefining their role in contemporary times and ensuring their relevance , efficacy and sustainability for years to come.