TYE Boston Final Pitch Competition
Two high school students pitch their startup Viva to the judges during the competition.
TiE-Boston Foundation, Inc. hosted the 2021 TYE (TiE Young Entrepreneurs) Boston's Final Pitch Competition. Twelve startups created by 61 high school students representing three countries, six states, and 54 high schools participated in the day-long virtual pitch competition. Teams competed for $9,000 in cash prizes and the chance to represent Boston at the TYE Global Competition on June 18th and 19th.
Top honors went to Scollab, an online platform designed to improve collaboration between students, as they secured first place, followed by Viva, a hardware solution to help plant owners keep their plants thriving, and Spare!, a digital solution to help keep track of coupons to help shoppers save money. Pryntic, a marketplace that provides people with an easy way to sell and buy creations made by people with 3D printers, won Best Prototype and Curls 4 Gurls, a digital solution that recommends products to help women with type 3 (curly) and type 4 (coily) hair achieve their goals, won Best Lean Canvas. The event saw a turnout of over 250 attendees and was judged by venture capitalists and entrepreneurs.
Melanie Habwe Dickson, one of the guest judges for the event, closed the proceedings with a message to the TYE students. She said, "Congratulations on the artwork, the craft, and the technical expertise that all of you clearly invested in. I think that is especially important and especially noteworthy ... The fact that so many of you poured your heart and soul into thinking about how you could create impact is really commendable."
Sprinkled throughout the event were videos from TYE Alumni sharing their experiences in the program. Daniel V., a rising sophomore at Dickinson College and TYE alumnus '19-'20, shared that "one of my favorite memories would have to be meeting my mentor ... He brought a lot of enthusiasm and energy to the table that we needed, and I feel that is why we were so successful."
TYE Boston's Entrepreneurship Academy is dedicated to fostering the next generation of leaders through the transformative experience of building a startup. Over the course of six months, exceptional high school students are taught a rigorous curriculum by startup founders and industry experts and collaborate with their peers to create a solution to a pressing problem they identify. This year's cohort created solutions for issues ranging from the democratization of 3D printing, combating student stress during COVID-19, providing unbiased news, and mobilizing Gen Z to support local businesses.
Generous sponsorship for the event was provided by DS SolidWorks Corporation, Innovate@BU, Santander, CIMCON Software LLC, New England Innovation Academy, and Bleumi.
The competition concluded with all participants as winners as all the teams took back with them plenty of experience, important feedback, and long-lasting connections.
Applications for the 2021-2022 TYE Entrepreneurship Academy are now open. Learn more today.
For more information, contact: Katie Quigley Mellor, TYE Program Director, katie@boston.tie.org
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Original Source: TYE Boston's Final Pitch Competition Showcases Next Generation of Change-Makers
