On March 16, we celebrated the culmination of our ACTIVATE program with the ACTIVATED Showcase, where students presented their prototypes to a panel of judges. During the previous 8 weeks, the students worked within their business groups to create unique, innovative products and presented all of their hard work and innovation during the showcase. Each group created an advertisement for their product and presented their prototypes as guests engaged science-fair style. Afterward, the students pitched their business plans to a panel of judges including industry leaders: our Founder and CEO, Britney Robbins, Billy Ndizeye Venture Program Associate at World Business Chicago, and Tim Lewis, the CEO and Co-Founder of CurlMix.
During the event, Tim shared why he believes our programs are important for young entrepreneurial teens:
“I wanted to be that resource that I didn’t have coming up in the entrepreneurship game. I love to be able to give back to the students and see how they take the ideas, experience and wisdom that I didn’t have. They get the cheat codes to be able to accelerate even faster”
The students were nervous, but confident as they pitched their ideas to the judges who looked for product marketability, creativity, innovation, and ingenuity. Young innovator, Bebel Brown secured first place for her embroidery company, aptly named "Bebel". The company's mission is to help teenagers develop their identities through fashion by offering a range of customizable embroidered fashions and classes. The event left everyone feeling inspired and impressed by the students' hard work, dedication, and creativity.
If you know a young person who has a passion for innovation and wants to develop their ideas into tangible products and services, we encourage you to visit our programs page and apply to our next cohort ACCELERATE. Our programs are designed to help young people bring their innovative ideas to life and make a positive impact in the world.
For information about our upcoming programs for young changemakers visit www.graymatterexperience.com/programs
