Sand-Off Moves on in Entrepreneurial Competition
Congratulations to Dylan P. and Tyler L., winners of the 16th Annual Webster Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) Investors Panel!On March 27, twenty businesses created by Webster Schroeder and Webster Thomas high school students went head-to-head vying for seed money from local businesses in a Shark Tank-style competition. Dylan and Tyler’s business, Sand-Off, came out on top. “At Sand-Off, our goal is to provide a simple and effective solution for reducing the amount of sand getting stuck in your skin with ease,” they shared. “We are committed to enhancing your beach experience by reducing the sun, surf, and sand without it sticking to you.”
The duo will now move on to the YEA Saunders Scholars Competition at Rochester Institute of Technology where they will vie for $20,000 to $30,000 scholarships.
YEA! transforms students into real, confident entrepreneurs. Throughout the year-long program, Webster Schroeder and Webster Thomas high school students generate business ideas, conduct market research, and write business plans as they prepare to launch their businesses into the world.
Our community is a key in the success of our YEA! students. Community members, businesses, and organizations serve as mentors, donors, and investors. Mentors meet with our YEA! entrepreneurs and participate in formative business conversations to helpfully develop and realize their proposals. Donors make a financial contribution to the program (in an amount of their choosing) to help support developing student proposals into finished products and provide scholarship funding to selected entrepreneurs. Investors pledge money toward student businesses and participate in the in-person Shark Tank-style presentation of student entrepreneur business proposals.
Thank you to this year’s panelists: May Chiccino – Family First of NY Federal Credit Union; John Gabriele – Marina Auto Group; Barry Howard – Webster Chamber of Commerce Inc.; William S. Boulter, president and CEO of Boulter Industrial Contractors, Inc.; Garrett Wagner – C3 Evolution Group; Anthony Imburgia – Profeta Painting; Edward (Eddie) Frank – ESL Credit Union; Jerry Christopher – State Farm; Brian Neenan, superintendent, Webster Central School District Team; Madalyn Brown - Webster Schroeder Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA); Jake DiCicco – Webster Thomas FBLA.
Thank you to all who helped this year’s Webster YEA students!
