Youth Entrepreneurship Competition: Recap!

Last night, thirteen groups of young entrepreneurs pitched their business plans at our 5th annual Youth Entrepreneurship Competition.

Winning the evening's top prize was 3-in-1 Toothbrush, a toothbrush for travelers and people on the go that contains the toothbrush, toothpaste and floss all in one unit, thought of by  Brainerd High School students L.E.R Company, Lexis Parks, Edwrick Bishop, and Renus Evans. The first place title has earned them $2500 in prize money, which can be used towards starting their business or college expenses.

The second place winner was DUO from Howard School students Yolanda Dunham, Tadarius Covington, Ardarius Walker, Taniala Lewis, and Lameteries Bonner, who are walking away with a prize package of $1500. DUO is an insulated water bottle that can hold two different beverages, giving the ability to carry a hot and cold beverage with you at the same time. This unique water bottle is ideal for athletes, travelers, and anyone on the go. Third place, earning $1000 in prize money were students Chanel Mobley, Kentrell Weddington, and China Moon from Brainerd High School with Buggy Bag Inc., a shopping cart for urban dwellers that is fully collapsable, is stocked with reusable bags and an insulated cooler making walking trips to and from the grocery store easy. 

The other competing businesses were:

Solar Delights: Maliyah Belue, Lakresha Fields and Destiny Childress

Hydro Life: Charles Smiley, Bryant Stanfield, JaDanus Paris, Anthony Beck, and Malik Dickens

EGG-cellent Poultry: Victoria Tumer, Keshayla White, Juwan Samuels, Christopher Hawkins, and Lovest Carter

Illumination: DaRianna King, J'nya Kyles, Joe Young, and Jayelin Wheeler

Spirit at Howard: Akia Lewis, Cobi Stepp and Quonshiunna Hobdley

Match Me A Mechanic: Kiara Toney, Cira Norman, Mario Donahue

Dish Bomb: Ja'mes Johnson, Michael Hampton, JonQuez Billups, Reality Cross

Time Lime: Natasha Bell, Noel Webb, Yolanda Cox, and Gricelda Salanic-Pop

Fleek 2 Go!: Jaela Moore, Mia Stowe, Jazmin Mason, and Monteiana Ross

Be Safe: A'Keia Colley, T'Aira Truss

The judges panel was made up of leaders from Chattanooga’s startup community; Kristina Montague, managing partner at The Jump Fund, Paul Smith, public safety coordinator for the City of Chattanooga, Andrew Kean, partner at Alderman Holdings, and Susan Freeman, owner of Susan M. Freeman Enterprise.

This event serves as the finale of our High School Entrepreneurship Program that trains students in the necessary steps to start a small business. This was the fifth year of the program, which has steadily grown since its first year and now includes five schools. Participating students hail from The Howard School, Brainerd High School, Tyner Academy, Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy, and The STEM School.

We aim to continue to grow this program and hope to add additional schools this fall when the new semester kicks off!