Saanya Ali Selected as Winner of Nestlé and Girls With Impact’s “Big Ideas. Better World.” Innovation Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 1, 2022
Saanya Ali will receive $5,000 and mentorship from Nestlé’s R&D team to progress SOIRÉE, a venture focused on reviving the lost art of entertaining.
Today, Girls With Impact, in partnership with Nestlé, announced the winner of the “Big Ideas. Better World” competition. The competition, which ran from April 14, 2022 to May 31, 2022, encouraged girls and young women ages 12 – 29 to submit their ideas to help innovate and solve pressing challenges in the food and beverage industry.
Saanya Ali was selected as the winner of this national challenge focused on empowering the next generation of women leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to make their impact for her innovative idea, SOIRÉE.
With more people entertaining at home, evolving definitions of what a “dinner party” means, and amid today’s sea of countless content and commerce options, SOIRÉE aims to simplify and revive the lost art of entertaining through a modernized, one-stop-shop that provides everything hosts need to know when planning a dinner party. SOIRÉE would come to life in the form of a website aimed at making the process of entertaining simple, convenient and accessible for all, featuring sample menus, guides to seasonal produce, plating instructions, pre-themed playlists, and much more. SOIRÉE would also create a community forum for users to share their experiences entertaining – enabling the next generation to connect through the power of food.
As the winner, Saanya Ali will receive $5,000 from Nestlé to put towards her venture startup, mentorship from one of Nestlé’s coaches in the company’s R&D Accelerator, and a full scholarship to the Girls With Impact Business and Leadership Academy (a 10-week, live, online, mini-MBA program). What’s more, all participants who entered the competition receive a full scholarship to Girls With Impact’s Academy to help build their idea and get a leg-up for college and career success.
“The competition received so many impressive submissions that have the potential to drive powerful and positive solutions in the food and beverage industry, but ultimately, Saanya’s idea for SOIRÉE stood out for its timeliness, targeted audience strategy, and its potential to unlock meaningful connections through the power of food,” said Melissa Cash, Chief Strategy Officer, Nestlé USA. “We’re thrilled to provide mentorship to Saanya as she works to progress this innovation.”
Through its partnership with Girls With Impact, Nestlé continues to deliver on its longstanding efforts to empower and prepare the next generation of makers, creators, entrepreneurs, and agripreneurs to make their impact.
About Nestlé USA
Nestlé USA is committed to unlocking the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone, today and for generations to come. The company’s food and beverage portfolio is in nearly every home in the U.S. and includes some of the most recognizable brands such as Coffee mate, DiGiorno and Nestlé Toll House as well as category disrupters like Essentia and Sweet Earth. Nestlé USA also boasts the largest coffee portfolio in the U.S. with Nescafé, Starbucks Coffee and Chameleon Cold Brew. As part of Nestlé S.A. in Vevey, Switzerland — Nestlé USA has been named among Fast Company’s “Best Workplace for Innovators” for two consecutive years. For more information, visit Nestleusa.com.
About Girls With Impact
Girls With Impact, a 501c3, is the nation's only live, online mini-MBA for teen girls, offered year-round. The live, online after-school Business and Innovation Academy moves girls from ideation to a business plan and venture pitch, driving improvements in confidence, leadership, college readiness and professional skills for success. The organization started in 2017 when the World Economic Forum in Davos brought attention to the need to address dropping out of the workforce. Girls With Impact partners with corporations and foundations who make our work possible.