The Amy Hirsh Guarino Force For Good Award
About
Are you part of the Notre Dame family (student, alumni, staff, or professor) who is fulfilling Father Sorin's mission to be a force for good through a tech startup or nonprofit that significantly impacts the three principles of Catholic Social Teaching: The Vulnerable Family, The Planet, or The Catholic Church? If so, submit your pitch deck and enter the competition to win!
About Amy Hirsh Guarino
Amy Hirsh Guarino, a 1983 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, was a longtime member of the IDEA Center's advisory council and chaired its Venture Builder's Committee. During her time at Notre Dame, Amy was a drummer and cymbalist in the marching band and was active in intramural sports.
After graduating, Amy began her career at IBM in California and later worked with various startups, earning a reputation for building customer bases and securing funding for early-stage companies. She was recognized by Forbes as one of the 40 Women to Watch Over 40 in 2017, among other accolades.
Amy also served as president of the San Francisco Notre Dame Club and founded the Notre Dame Tech Forum in 2001.
She had a deep passion for helping and connecting people. She assisted hundreds of individuals and leveraged the global Notre Dame network to create positive outcomes.
Amy passed away on Thursday, May 25, 2023.
Amy had a passion for helping and connecting people. Whether it was a CEO or founder seeking advice on building a channel sales team or a recent graduate looking for their first job, Guarino provided support for all, driven by the satisfaction of seeing businesses and individuals thrive. She helped hundreds and maximized the global Notre Dame network to create positive outcomes.
About the Amy Hirsh Guarino Award
The recipient of the annual Amy Hirsh Guarino Award will receive $5,000 to support their efforts in leveraging technology to address a grand challenge faced by one or more key areas of Catholic Social Teaching: the vulnerable family, the planet and the Catholic Church.
The award will go to the individual who best embodies the ideals of the University and reflects Amy's values of hard work, helping others, innovation, and community service.
Award
- $5,000 (+$1000 for travel if applicable)
- Coaching from influential Notre Dame alumni venture capitalists and startup founders
- Amplification of your startup to the sphere of influence of the 100+ donors to the Amy Hirsh Guarino Technology Endowment
- Will present their idea at the Innovation Rally on Friday, November 8, 2024 at the IDEA Center in South Bend, IN.
Selection Criteria
If you are a part of the Notre Dame family (student, alumni, faculty, or staff) and working to be a Force for Good leveraging technology, and have a great business or new business idea, please apply today.
All participants will use the same template for submitting their ideas.
Submission Deadline
The due date of the submission is 11:59 PM on September 29, 2024.
Award Presentation
Friday, November 8, 2024, 1:00 p.m.
Location: IDEA Center, 1400 E. Angela Blvd., South Bend, IN 46617
Donate to the Amy Hirsh Guarino Technology Endowment
If you’d like to contribute to the endowment fund from which this prize is funded, please do so using the button below.
Questions?
For any questions relating to the Amy Hirsh Guarino Force For Good Award, please contact Ellen Dutton.