Students win $3,000 in Shark Tank-style pitch competition, advance to national finals
NFTE West (Southern California) Youth Entrepreneur Challenge Winner
2024 NFTE West (Southern California) Youth Entrepreneur Challenge Winner
LOS ANGELES, June 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Global entrepreneurship education nonprofit Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) has named three local student companies as winners of its annual Western (Southern California) Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Competition. The young entrepreneurs emerged with innovative business ideas. The Southern California winners, along with the Northern California winners, will compete in the national finals in New York on October 10, along with a wildcard competitor that will be selected and announced in late June. The winners will compete for the title of national champion and a cash prize.
Participants presented their unique business concepts to a prestigious panel of judges, including Vivek Bhuta, Senior Manager at EY-Parthenon, Sheila Emami, Vice President at St. Cloud Capital, LLC, Sadiya Gosla, Vice President and Branch Manager at Citibank, Gary Rabishaw, Managing Director and Head of Commercial & Consumer Technology at Intrepid Investment Bankers, LLC, and Brittany Trick, Small Business Sales Manager at US Bank. The judges decided to award $1,500 to the first place winner, $1,000 to the second place winner, and $500 to the third place winner.
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First place: Lucio Hightower Rojas from Los Angeles Urban League He came up with a business idea called Scholar Brilliance, a mission-driven technology company that aims to revolutionize the way students fund their education and pursue their academic passions.
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2nd place: Solonia Allen from Los Angeles Urban League Her business idea, Almndmlk, makes delicious vegan bundt cakes using organic ingredients and unique recipes.
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3rd place: David Gutierrez from Florence Nightingale Junior High School in Los Angeles He launched his business idea, “Anyone Can Game,” to provide a more immersive, augmented reality and lifelike experience for people with hearing impairments while playing video games.
“NFTE West District’s Southern California Youth Entrepreneur Challenge showcased the extraordinary talent and potential of our young participants,” said Tim Blaylock, Executive Director, NFTE West District. “Their innovative ideas, boundless enthusiasm and unwavering determination to succeed were undeniably inspiring. This event was made possible through the dedicated efforts of local NFTE teachers, volunteer coaches, judges and NFTE West District staff. We are incredibly grateful for their unwavering support, which contributed greatly to the great success of this challenge.”
The NFTE West (Southern California) Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge was sponsored by Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) and U.S. Bank, with special support from Shopify, and collaboration from the 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
