High school entrepreneurs share $20,000 in seed funding for two winning startups
CHICAGO, July 18, 2023 — Uncharted Learning, a national nonprofit working to foster entrepreneurship amongst students across the country, congratulates two winning teams, Notifeye from Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, and Sticks & Stones, from Brewster High School in Putnam County, New York, as well as the other three finalist teams that competed in the 2023 INCubatoredu National Student Pitch Competition.
“Through the National Pitch event, we are able to witness the brilliance and originality of student entrepreneurs from all corners of the country,” said Margarita Geleske, Chief Evangelist at Uncharted Learning, “This event highlights the immense value of entrepreneurship education, empowering students to develop and present creative solutions to real-world problems. As these students venture into the world beyond high school, their ability to innovate and create meaningful impact will positively benefit us all.”
Five high school teams from Illinois, Florida, New York, and Texas competed for $20,000 in seed funding at the competition, presenting their startups to a panel of investors and industry leaders. The judging panel included Maria Flynn, founder and CEO of Ambiologix, Bruno Rodrigues, a member of the strategic growth team at Google, Neal Sales-Griffin, managing director of Techstars Chicago, Michael Miles, co-founder of Uncharted Learning, and Josh James, co-founder of Allergenius, INCubatoredu alum, and past National Pitch winner. The teams, all participants in the INCubatoredu entrepreneurship program, were selected from a pool of high school student team submissions from across the United States.
Notifeye from Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, will receive $15,000 to continue the development of their dashboard camera alert system, which combats the climbing death rates and accidents related to distracted and drowsy driving by monitoring driving behavior to anticipate and alert drivers of signs of distractedness and drowsiness on the road before a crash happens.
The Sticks & Stones team from Brewster High School in Putnam County, New York also received $5,000 in funding for their solution for an all-natural, environmentally friendly, and effective genital deodorant for physically active men.
Rounding out the competition of finalists in this year’s National Pitch Competition were SafeSip, of Mundelein High School in Illinois, DotekiBrush, of Barrington High School in Illinois, and Faer for Everyone, of Lorenzo Walker Technical High School in Florida.
Uncharted Leaning’s National Pitch Competition was launched as a continuation of the INCubatoredu high school course and the culminating event at the 8th annual Uncharted Learning Summit.
“Having the opportunity to pitch for real funding is an experience of a lifetime for my students. The skills they learn in this class are relevant no matter what they do after high school,” said Jeff Nixon, Westlake teacher who taught team Notifeye, “We’re incredibly proud of these students. They worked hard, persevered, and are ready to take their business to the next level.”
Congratulations to the participating team members and their INCubatoredu teachers and mentors (listed below):
Notifeye
Westlake High School
Eanes Independent School District, Austin, TX
Teachers: Lindsey Stokes & Jeff Nixon
Mentor: Julie Jumonville, Founding Partner, Geyser Group
Sticks & Stones
Brewster High School
Brewster Central School District, Brewster, NY
Teacher: Ed Schmidt
Mentors: Dawn Ruggiero, Director of Marketing, Fincadia Tax Services; Dr. Lori Wagner, Clinical Psychologist, Mind Body Soul – Psychology and Consulting Group, LLC
SafeSip
Mundelein High School
District 120, Mundelein, IL
Teacher: Michelle Sherwin-Petrucci
Mentor: Mario Feijoo, Founder & Executive Director, Future Entrepreneurs USA
DotekiBrush
Barrington High School
District 220, Barrington, IL
Teacher: Hagop Soulakian
Mentor: Eric Hochstein, Founder, Highstone Associates, Inc.
Faer for Everyone
Lorenzo Walker Technical High School
Collier County Public Schools, Naples, FL
Teachers: Ted Coine
Mentor: Mathew Dunham, Director of Innovation, Linstol
About Uncharted Learning
Uncharted Learning, a non-profit organization, aims to empower students with real-world skills, setting them on a path towards lifelong success. Through its programs, Uncharted Learning provides authentic and challenging entrepreneurial experiences to students in 350 schools across the United States, Australia, Spain, and Switzerland. By assisting students in identifying their interests, enhancing their abilities, and shaping their own destinies, the organization enables them to thrive. Uncharted Learning’s INCubatoredu program, operating since 2013, equips students with the necessary tools to excel in an ever-evolving global economy.
SOURCE Uncharted Learning
