Competitors named for southwest Indiana pitch competition
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The University of Evansville has announced the southwest Indiana regional competitors in the annual Innovate WithIN high school pitch competition. Ten student teams will compete in the event on April 15, with the chance to advance to the state finals in June.
The Innovate WithIN program is organized by the Indianapolis-based STARTedUP Foundation. First place winners in the state competition will receive $25,000 in seed funding towards their business and $10,000 each in a 529 college savings account.
Additionally, the University of Evansville is offering a $16,000 renewable scholarship for up to four years for the winners of the regional competition that advance to the state finals.
If the regional qualifier finishes within the top 3 at the state finals, they could receive additional scholarships and incentives, including acceptance into a Custom ChangeLab course dedicated to their project or business with a coach and team of students.
“In addition to having another record-breaking year, we have seen such an improvement in the quality of student’s pitches and heard from educators of how they have seen a mindset shift in their classrooms,” Don Wettrick, CEO of the STARTedUP Foundation said in a news release. “As an educator of 25 years, when you bring a mindset of innovation into the classroom, things change for students. These young people are able to visualize real-world opportunities and are challenged to explore their own entrepreneurial passions.”
The participating teams in the southwest Indiana region are:
- Boomerang Learning
- Kris Lau, Signature School
- Abdul-Aleem Muhammed, Signature School
- Parth Patel, Signature School
- Case Flood
- Ethan Hilton, Signature School
- Emily Rudolph, Signature School
- Tolen Schreid, Signature School
- Custos Creations
- Kaelin League, New Tech Institute
- Rylie Schelb, New Tech Institute
- Diemond Cuts
- Johnna Riger, New Tech Institute
- DocuAI
- Kyah McLeod, Terre Haute North Vigo High School
- Nate Millington, Terre Haute North Vigo High School
- Double Date It
- Lexi May, Terre Haute North Vigo High School
- HHangers
- James Belmar, Terre Haute North Vigo High School
- Hydroxy (mentorship from Beck’s Hybrids)
- Lenea Elliot, Perry Central Jr-Sr High School
- Matthew McKeehan, Perry Central Jr-Sr High School
- Colten Mitchell, Perry Central Jr-Sr High School
- Victus Energy
- Jacob Barnwell, New Tech Institute
- Elie Duff, New Tech Institute
- Jeremy Watson Jr., New Tech Institute
- Volunteer Bridge
- Lily Hagan, Mt. Vernon High School
Each regional qualifier will receive mentorship from the Indiana Small Business Development Center and the STARTedUP Foundation. The regional competition takes place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT on April 15.
You can find more information by clicking here.