The third annual competition hosted by the Scott Army Center for Entrepreneurship will feature student pitchers and alumni speakers.
Monday January 9, 2017 | 6:30 p.m. | Saint John's High SchoolPioneering students with ideas for new products, remarkable inventions, and unique business plans will be pitching their ideas to a panel of professionals for the chance to win cash prizes.
These aspiring entrepreneurs, businessmen, world-changers, and pioneers will compete with the objective of sharing ideas and networking within the vibrant and diverse Saint John's community. Business plans will be judged by a panel of alumni judges, including
Brian Darling ’84, Rob Giacchetti ’87, and
Ed Hardy ’03.The top plans selected from the nearly fifty submissions will be presented in front of the judges and audience, who will select winners based on quality of plan and presentations. Winning plans receive cash prizes from the center, which last year awarded $2500 to the winners to get their businesses started.
Keynote speaker talks growing passion into productThe 2017 keynote speaker will be alumnus
Dan Kenary '78, founder and CEO of Harpoon Brewery. He will be sharing his story of growing a small passion into a successful company and brand recognized around the world.
Through the Entrepreneurial Studies course and Entrepreneurship Club, students and alumni are coming together to share ideas. Scott Army, a 2001 graduate, collaborated with his alma mater with the hopes of expanding the growing entrepreneurial spirit in students. The first Business Plan Competition was held in the spring of 2015, and 2017 marks the third annual event of its kind at Saint John's.
The EClub is open to all interested students and meets after school weekly as a supplement to the class. Students can hear from alumni speakers who share their stories of business ventures and their professional paths after Saint John’s.
"Entrepreneurship, I believe, at its heart, is about empowerment of the individual to go out and to make a difference in the world. It is about opportunity, risk, possibility, innovation, and progress... It can be grand or small, white collar or blue collar. Entrepreneurship can, of course, be economic, but it can also be social, political, or simply about a new way of thinking. It is so much more than just that tech startup you read about in the paper... There are entrepreneurs all around us, starting small businesses or volunteer groups every day.” - Scott Army '01
For more information, contact
Chris Benestad, Entrepreneurial Studies teacher and Entrepreneurship Club moderator at
entrepreneurship@stjohnshigh.org.