Disrupt to Sustain
Pitch Competition

Disrupt to Sustain is an annual pitch competition for business students committed to leading just and regenerative change through social entrepreneurship. In December 2023, my teammates and I pitched Nature Nest, a company revolutionizing urban living with vibrant, community focused, co-housing spaces. We spent five months researching co-housing models and sustainable construction, speaking with field experts, and developing a discounted cash flow model for the first five years of operations. Our extensive research culminated with a five minute pitch followed by Q&A in front of a panel of social entrepreneurs and an audience of our peers and professors. This experience certainly demonstrated the value of perfecting the elevator pitch!

What set Nature Nest apart? We were guided by a core belief that everyone has a right to safe, affordable, healthy housing. We aspired to redefine the built environment, prioritizing human well-being and climate resilience by:

1. Renovating vacant office buildings, schools, and churches via energy efficient, sustainable construction practices.

2. Promoting the principles of co-housing to combat social isolation and the escalating costs of housing.

3. Exiting the property via a sale to a resident owned co-operative, thus increasing wealth-building opportunities for low and middle-income families.