Dr. J.D. Larocque, CEO of the Global Nonprofit Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, honored the young people whose business ideas earned top marks in the 2024 NFTE Southern Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. He is posing. Students will present at the national finals to be held in New York on October 10th. [Photo: Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship]
Five local student businesses have been selected as winners of the annual Southern Region Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge by the global entrepreneurship education nonprofit Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship.
The New York-based NFTE said young entrepreneurs stood out on May 10 with the innovative business ideas they will present at the national finals on October 10 in New York City. There, the title of National Champion and prize money are up for grabs.
“The level of competition from all NFTE South students has exceeded our expectations,” NFTE South Regional Director Trish McKeel said in a statement. “These young entrepreneurs are not only forward-thinking with their business ideas, but also grounded in the reality of giving back to their local communities. They are truly amazing and NFTE South is committed to supporting them, their teachers, and families I’m very proud of that.”
Rodius Martinet of Grand Prairie High School for the Gifted won the Southern Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge on May 10 with his business idea, “Style Selector.” He is scheduled to present at the national finals on October 10th in New York. [Photo: Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship]
Competitors pitched their unique business concepts to a panel of judges that included NFTE alumnus and entrepreneur Alberto Arroyo. Mr. Lincoln Cohoon, Senior Manager, Ernst & Young LLP (EY US). Sean Cross, Small Business Community Banking and Loan Production Manager at Bank of America. John Steinmetz, President and CEO of Vista Bank and Vice Chairman of Vista Bancshares. And Pushkala Venkataraman, Product Area Leader, Fidelity Brokerage Technology:
The judges decided to award $1,500 to the first place winner, $1,000 to the second place winner, $500 to the third place winner, and $100 each to the top two.
Learn more about award-winning students and NFTE
The winning students are:
- 1st Place: Rodius Martinet of Grand Prairie High School for the Gifted in Grand Prairie, Texas, presents his business idea for Style Selector, an app that generates outfits for people who don’t know what to wear.
- 2nd Place: Angel Alvarez of Price Career Institute South in Dallas and his business idea for UniDesign, an affordable yet high-quality branding and design business.
- 3rd place: Avril Cardona of Nimitz High School in Irving, Texas. She presented her idea for a business called Detect-A-Ray, a security system that detects, secures, and protects school environments from gun violence.
- Runner-up: Peyton Bernstein of Hillcrest High School in Dallas with the business idea of Peyton’s Pastries, which offers a variety of baked goods such as cookies, cakes, and cupcakes.
- Runners-up: Brihana Herrera and Danamali Martinez Reyes of Career Institute North in Dallas. I announced a business idea called Bra Physics. Bra Physics is a business where women gain confidence and empowerment by finding their ideal bra size.
The NFTE South Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge was organized by EY US in partnership with Citi Foundation, PayPal, Santander, and Shopify.
NFTE, a global nonprofit organization founded in 1987, provides high-quality entrepreneurial education to middle school, high school, and postsecondary students. We bring the power of entrepreneurship to students regardless of family income, community resources, special needs, gender identity, race, or ethnicity.
NFTE said it has educated more than 1 million students, offering programs through in-school, out-of-school, in-person, online or hybrid models.
Please put it on the list.
Dallas innovates every day.
Sign up to stay up-to-date on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.
Read next
-
The DEC Network’s State of Entrepreneurship event and awards recognize the key contributors driving DFW’s dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem, from startup evangelists to up-and-coming founders to investors driving growth. Check out the nominees in nine exciting categories and vote now for who you think should win.
-
Today is International Women’s Day, and many women entrepreneurs across North Texas are still basking in the glow of what happened Thursday night. As Albarello mentioned in the post, DEC Network’s 2024 Entrepreneurship Event featured an all-star cast of women. Winner of the Entrepreneur Award.
-
The Dallas-based serial entrepreneur and business executive will share his perspective on the impact of mentorship at the September awards ceremony. His storied career, including the successful turnaround and sale of Kinko’s to FedEx, has ranged from retail and gaming to cosmetics and private equity. Mentor nominations began on his August 20th.
-
Blackstone LaunchPad has expanded its mission beyond entrepreneurship. Combined with next-generation career preparation, LaunchPad is set up to help students develop skills that are adaptable to any professional path. During her visit to Dallas, Blackstone Charitable Foundation Executive Director Maura Parry talks about the program’s new pilot internship and more.
-
Officially known as the Entrepreneur of Color Credit Enhancement Fund, the program provides loan guarantees and loan preparation assistance to growth-oriented businesses.
