Future City Challenge

Challenge Overview

Subject area: Business/Commerce 
Year level: 11, 12 & 13 
Teams: 3-5 students 
Dates: 23rd April - 24th June

In this challenge, students take on the role of founders pitching an SDG-aligned business or social enterprise to a panel of investors. The focus is not just on having a “good idea”, but on developing a credible, investable solution to a real issue affecting their city or town.

Students will work through the following five steps:

• Step 1: Identify the problem

• Step 2: Solution ideation

• Step 3: Impact and unfair advantage

• Step 4: Funding for a startup

• Step 5: Pitch your idea

Along the way, they develop critical skills including research, teamwork, financial reasoning, strategic thinking, and confident communication.

Key concepts 

Key concepts addressed in this challenge include -

• Sustainable development goals (SDGs): 17 global goals designed to create a fairer, healthier, and more sustainable world by tackling issues like poverty, inequality, climate change, and access to education.

• Solution ideation: generating, exploring, and refining creative ideas to develop a solution that creates real value.

• Unfair advantage: the reason your solution is more likely to succeed than others trying to solve the same problem.

• Funding for a startup: the financial resources a new business needs to launch, grow, and sustain its operations.

• Brand identity: how a business communicates why it matters and why others should care or invest.

How it works 

If a class wants to participate, the teacher registers via the link below. This takes the teacher to a secure platform, where they will access the challenge materials (presentation slides and teacher notes).

The teacher will provide team names and details within the platform (there is no student login throughout the challenge).

The presentation slides and teacher notes provide guidance for teachers and students to progress through the challenge. Note: The challenge has been designed for flexible use; you could either run this in class, or teams can work independently, depending on your curriculum and time requirements.

Final submission is done by the teacher, on behalf of each student group. Submissions are recorded videos (2-5 minutes long). The videos are uploaded directly to the Ripyl platform. An external panel will judge submissions.

Key Notes

Students remain in the same team throughout the challenge to support deeper collaboration.

The challenge has been designed for flexible use; you could either run this in class, or teams can work independently, depending on your curriculum and time requirements. 

The Challenge Board is central – it supports organisation, scaffolds thinking, and helps students track their progression across the four parts. Encourage teams to use this to capture and consolidate their ideas throughout the challenge.

• An example is included to help guide you and your students, as needed.

• Additional tips & guidance will be provided on the platform, and live sessions will be available.

• Guidelines for structuring the pitch are included in the slide deck.