The COVID-19 'Virtual Idea Blitz': Marshaling Social Entrepreneurship to Rapidly Respond to Urgent Grand Challenges

In response to societal grand challenges, professors have unique opportunities to be changemakers, repurposing their expertise to deploy relevant, timely, practical, and research backed knowledge for the betterment of communities. Drawing on scholarship on post-crisis organizing, entrepreneurial hustle and social entrepreneurship, we provide a first-hand, real-time case description of a three-day Virtual Idea Blitz organized in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The event was organized and executed in less than a week and ultimately involved 200 individuals including entrepreneurs, coders, medical doctors, venture capitalists, industry professionals, students and professors from around the world. By the end of the weekend, 21 ideas with corresponding pitches were developed in five thematic areas (health needs, education, small businesses, community, and purchasing). We describe how the community was rapidly rallied, and discuss the key learning outcomes of this spontaneous entrepreneurial endeavor. We provide evidence from participants and mentors that showcase the value of the time-compressed Virtual Idea Blitz in accelerating social entrepreneurial action. We offer practical guidance to academic, community and professional institutions who would like to replicate and/or build upon our approach to stimulate the formation of community and coordinating efforts to thwart the ongoing threat of COVID-19, as well as other societal challenges that might emerge in the future.