COMMON PITCH

COMMON and Design Indaba, one of the world’s leading design events, are excited to bring COMMON Pitch: “A party to fix the world” to South Africa. Featuring 10 selected entrepreneurs and their innovative concepts for social change, COMMON Pitch: South Africa will celebrate the freshest solutions to some of the most pressing issues in Africa today. Officially open for submissions globally, an event featuring the finalists will take place on February 29, 2012, in Cape Town. The winning submission will receive $25 000 (R200,000) in prize money.

COMMON - whose founders include creative industry notables Alex and Ana Bogusky, John Bielenberg and Rob Schuham - drives positive change through enterprise with its own blend of accelerators for existing and emerging socially-conscious ventures. The Colorado-based company is also quickly becoming known for turning the straight-laced world of do-gooding upside down. COMMON Pitch events, which traditionally feature timed pitches, celebrity judges, live entertainment and an energetic, collaborative environment, have drawn international media attention and helped numerous entrepreneurs accelerate their socially conscious companies. Partnering with Design Indaba, the event in February will represent the first international launch of the concept.

"COMMON Pitch is all about shining a light on the incredible people using creativity to find new solutions to the world's toughest challenges,” said Alex Bogusky, COMMON co-founder and an Adweek Creative Director of the Decade. “It only makes sense to bring this event to Africa, where creativity and enterprise are colliding in the most brilliant ways."

While the role of the creative thinker has always been significant in the race to end poverty, hunger and other world concerns, a new class of social entrepreneurs, emerging from industries like design, advertising and digital technology, are increasingly entering the space and show no signs of slowing down. Design Indaba, known for championing every application of creativity, was eager to acknowledge this developing interest within the context of its annual conference, now in its 17th year.

“Design Indaba symbolises our relentless passion to advance the cause of creativity. We do what we do because design is about more than aesthetics, it is about finding creative solutions to transform and improve the lives of people across the globe. Creativity can have the most material economic impact on a country and it is for this reason we are committed to our belief that a better world is possible through creativity,” said Design Indaba Founder, Ravi Naidoo.

Submissions for COMMON Pitch: South Africa have officially opened and will close on January 23, 2012. Entrepreneurs with creative concepts or early stage start-ups with the potential to create positive change in Africa, are encouraged to submit their applications to present at www.common.is

For more information on Design Indaba 2012 visit http://www.designindaba.com