Students win $2,500 in Shark Tank-style pitch competition in San Francisco, advance to national finals
NFTE West (Northern California) Youth Entrepreneur Challenge Winner
2024 NFTE West (Northern California) Youth Entrepreneur Challenge Winner
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Global entrepreneurship education nonprofit Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) has selected two local student companies as the winners of its annual Western (Northern California) Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Competition. The young entrepreneurs will compete for the title of national champion and cash prizes at the national finals in New York on October 10th, where they will showcase their innovative business ideas.
Participants presented their unique business concepts to a distinguished panel of judges, including Kate Booth, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Americas, SAP; Samantha Brill, Private Wealth Advisor, Goldman Sachs; Tommy Goodwin, Vice President, Lyte Creative; Leo Mattiazzi, Partner and Executive Vice President, CI&T; and James B. Nelson, Senior Manager, Ernst & Young (EY US), who selected a winner with a cash prize of $1,500 and a runner-up with a cash prize of $1,000.
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First place: Dorothy Ho and Kimberly Tran from Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco Their business idea, NutriShell, produces cutely packaged organic eggshell-based fertilizer.
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2nd place: Ayaan Hassan from Silver Creek High School in San Jose, California He presented his business idea, AidlyAI, an app that uses AI to connect patients with urgent care centers.
“The NFTE West Northern California Youth Entrepreneurship Competition once again showcased the incredible talent and potential of our young people,” said Tim Blaylock, NFTE West Executive Director. “We were thrilled to see their creative ideas, passionate presentations and unwavering determination. This event was made possible through the hard work of NFTE West teachers, volunteer coaches and judges, as well as the leadership of the NFTE West team. Their dedication to supporting young entrepreneurs is truly admirable.”
The NFTE West (Northern California) Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge was organized by EY US with special support from Shopify and in partnership with Citi Foundation, PayPal and Santander.
For media inquiries, please contact Angelika Seaman at 603-504-8554 or Denise Berkhalter (APR) at 917-281-4362, mediainquiries@nfte.com.
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About NFTE:
Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) inspires the entrepreneurial spirit through unique learning experiences that empower students to shape their own futures. Founded in 1987, NFTE is a global nonprofit organization that provides quality entrepreneurial education to middle school, high school and higher education students. NFTE brings the power of entrepreneurship to students regardless of family income, community resources, special needs, gender identity, race or ethnicity. NFTE has educated more than one million students by delivering programs in-school, out-of-school, in-person, online or through hybrid models. For more information, visit nfte.com.
Attachments
CONTACT: Denise Berkhalter, APR Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) 917-281-4362 deniseb@nfte.com
