Capital Region high school students competed in local startup competition at UAlbany. High school teams pitched product ideas to a panel of business professionals. This was organized by innovate518 to cultivate teen entrepreneurship in the Capital Region. Seventeen teams participated in the University’s uptown campus. Each team comprised 2 or 3 students. Each team presented a one-minute video advertisement of their product idea. This program was the brain child of Arnav Kannan, a senion at Guilderland High School. He wanted to create an opportunity for local high school students to acquire skills necessary to become a successful entrepreneur. “The Albany area is filled with so many smart kids; it is only right that they have an outlet to express their creativity”, Kannan said. “The event is almost like an incubator: these students have a network of amazing local entrepreneurs, as well as other students who have a similar burning passion for entrepreneurship.”
The Judges were Albany attorney Victor Cardona, Leet Cyber Security founder Tyler Wrrightson and CM Fox Real Estate owner Troy Miller. The three judges gave constructive criticism and asked questions on the features of the products presented.
The winner was SmartStep, created my Meghan Desmond and Rachel Hayes of Shaker High School. SmartStep is an app that would help in teaching special education by acting as an educational scavenger hunt.