Two young Webster businessmen will be pitting their product against those of students from 23 other school districts when Rochester Institute of Technology hosts the Young Entrepreneurs Academy final competition this week. The winners will be awarded scholarship money to attend RIT.
Webster Thomas High School students Ryan Kane and Ben Geloso created their product, a headband called IsoFlo, as part of Webster Central School District’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!).
They and other YEA! students from Thomas and Schroeder highs schools then pitched their product to an investors’ panel March 28. Each student or partnership was given six minutes to present their business plan, highlighting its product, market research, financials, and expected sales.
The eight potential investors asked questions and at the end awarded a total of $6,000 to various businesses, to use to offset startup costs.
The panel also named IsoFlo the top business, which enabled the Thomas duo to advance to semifinal competition this Thursday, May 3 at RIT.
The top five businesses from Thursday's event will compete Friday, May 4, in the finals.
Kane and Geloso are currently meeting with legal council to establish a patent for their product, IsoFlo, a dual band headband that was designed for athletes with long hair.
YEA! is a non-profit educational program that teaches students how to make a job — not just take a job. Students work in close cooperation with leaders of industry, local communities, educators and entrepreneurs from all walks of life, who use their personal experiences to take students through the steps of creating their own business or social movement from the ground up.
YEA! students leave the program with a fully formed and functioning business.
Two young Webster businessmen will be pitting their product against those of students from 23 other school districts when Rochester Institute of Technology hosts the Young Entrepreneurs Academy final competition this week. The winners will be awarded scholarship money to attend RIT.
Webster Thomas High School students Ryan Kane and Ben Geloso created their product, a headband called IsoFlo, as part of Webster Central School District’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!).
They and other YEA! students from Thomas and Schroeder highs schools then pitched their product to an investors’ panel March 28. Each student or partnership was given six minutes to present their business plan, highlighting its product, market research, financials, and expected sales.
The eight potential investors asked questions and at the end awarded a total of $6,000 to various businesses, to use to offset startup costs.
The panel also named IsoFlo the top business, which enabled the Thomas duo to advance to semifinal competition this Thursday, May 3 at RIT.
The top five businesses from Thursday's event will compete Friday, May 4, in the finals.
Kane and Geloso are currently meeting with legal council to establish a patent for their product, IsoFlo, a dual band headband that was designed for athletes with long hair.
YEA! is a non-profit educational program that teaches students how to make a job — not just take a job. Students work in close cooperation with leaders of industry, local communities, educators and entrepreneurs from all walks of life, who use their personal experiences to take students through the steps of creating their own business or social movement from the ground up.
YEA! students leave the program with a fully formed and functioning business.
