Racine elementary student wins annual ‘Wisconsin YES!’ youth business plan contest
Alex Hart-Upendo, a 5th grader at Gifford Elementary School in Racine who has made a splash in national news media, is the grand prize winner in Wisconsin YES!, a statewide youth business plan contest for students in middle and high school.
Hart-Upendo’s company, Build-A-Bow, is a custom eco-friendly bow retailer specializing in bow ties, hair bows and bow ties for dogs. Hart-Upendo founded Build-A-Bow when he was just nine years old.
In addition to starting his business, Hart-Upendo is the author of “Bullies, Bowties and Brilliant Alex.” Written at only nine years old and published in 2016, Hart-Upendo wrote the book to encourage the inner entrepreneur in children, while bringing awareness to bullying. Hart-Upendo has been featured in Forbes and GQ magazines and received attention from Ellen Degeneres, Steve Harvey, Harry Connick Jr. and ABC’s Shark Tank.
Hart-Upendo will present his winning idea June 6 at the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference in Madison during the awards luncheon for the Governor’s Business Plan Contest. To register for the two-day conference, visit www.witrepsconference.com.
Students submitted their ideas in a 250-word online summary to compete in Phase 1 of the contest. Professionals from across the state served as judges, provided feedback and scored the ideas. About two-dozen entries were selected to move on to Phase 2, where they submitted 1,000-word executive summaries covering company overview; product or service description; customer definition; market description, size and sales strategy; competition; management team; financials; and capital needs.
Second place was awarded to Noah Doble of Brookfield Academy for his entry Protein Bean, a nutritious, quick-service cafe in which customers can create their own protein- and coffee-infused drinks. Rahul Mullick of University School of Milwaukee was awarded third place with his entry, Probiotic Infant Foods, a baby food line fortified with probiotic strains to improve infant health.
In alphabetical order of the submission name, other participating finalists in the sixth annual contest were:
| Submission Name | School | Name |
| Azo-Heat | Whitman Middle School | Ronan Piontek |
| Cord Clip | Neenah High School | Jordan Setterstrom |
| Eco-wipes | Whitman Middle School | Myles Calhoun |
| Evacside | Whitman Middle School | Savannah Williams |
| Gardening Buddy | Longfellow Middle School | Arthur Wellenstein |
| Glo-Cord | Whitman Middle School | James Branski |
| Happy Campers | Crivitz High School | Paige Fuhrmann |
| Helping Hands | Madison East High School | Nyagoah Biel |
| Hydrovitae | Longfellow Middle School | Greta Krueger |
| Palette Shoes | Neenah High School | Esteban Guerra |
| RoboScoop | Crivitz High School | Zachary Walters |
| Sozoderm | Longfellow Middle School | Greta Krueger |
| Stuf-Cakes | Brookfield Academy | Nick Boucher |
| SwiftScore | Longfellow Middle School | Vivi Andersen |
| Swiss Kitchen Tool | Longfellow Middle School | Arthur Wellenstein |
| Switch It Water Bottle | Longfellow Middle School | Maeve Kaufman |
| The Daily Routine | Longfellow Middle School | Mya Hansen |
| The Greencube | West High School | Erik Buinevicius |
| The Health Band | Longfellow Middle School | Audrey Hardman |
| The PockeTop | Neenah High School | Courtney Corrente |
| The Vital Monitor | Longfellow Middle School | Ximena Cavazos |
The Wisconsin YES! contest is produced by the Wisconsin Technology Council. Major support is provided by WEA Trust, Intrepid Charitable Partners, The Boldt Company, UW-Madison Office of Corporate Relations, and the Wisconsin Technical College System.
Contest partners include the Department of Financial Institutions, Department of Public Instruction, the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators, Make a Difference Wisconsin, Project Lead the Way Wisconsin, STEM Forward, Wisconsin Association of School Boards, Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers and Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials.
Modeled after the successful Governor’s Business Plan Contest, Wisconsin YES! is designed to teach students how innovation in science and technology fields can be developed into plausible business plans. It is an opportunity for students to explore the connections between science, technology and entrepreneurship, and for educators and judges to cultivate an interest in these arenas. Visit www.wisconsinyes.com to learn more.
Twenty-four entries advance to second phase in ‘Wisconsin YES!’ youth biz plan contest
A statewide panel of judges have selected 24 entries to advance to Phase 2 of Wisconsin YES!, a youth business plan contest for students in middle school and high school.
Students submitted their science- and tech-based 250-word business summaries through the contest website – www.WisconsinYES.com – in April to compete in Phase 1. More than 110 entries were received from around the state.
Professionals committed to the development of young business leaders in Wisconsin served as judges, scoring the entries and providing constructive feedback to the students.
Entries advancing to the next round, including the school are:
| Submission Name | School | Name |
| Azo-Heat | Whitman Middle School | Ronan Piontek |
| Build-A-Bow | Gifford Elementary | Alex Hart-Upendo |
| Cord Clip | Neenah High School | Jordan Setterstrom |
| Eco-wipes | Whitman Middle School | Myles Calhoun |
| Evacside | Whitman Middle School | Savannah Williams |
| Gardening Buddy | Longfellow Middle School | Arthur Wellenstein |
| Glo-Cord | Whitman Middle School | James Branski |
| Happy Campers | Crivitz High School | Paige Fuhrmann |
| Helping Hands | Madison East High School | Nyagoah Biel |
| Hydrovitae | Longfellow Middle School | Greta Krueger |
| Palette Shoes | Neenah High School | Esteban Guerra |
| Probiotic Infant Foods | University School of Milwaukee | Rahul Mullick |
| Protein Bean | Brookfield Academy | Noah Doble |
| RoboScoop | Crivitz High School | Zachary Walters |
| Sozoderm | Longfellow Middle School | Greta Krueger |
| Stuf-Cakes | Brookfield Academy | Nick Boucher |
| SwiftScore | Longfellow Middle School | Vivi Andersen |
| Swiss Kitchen Tool | Longfellow Middle School | Arthur Wellenstein |
| Switch It Water Bottle | Longfellow Middle School | Maeve Kaufman |
| The Daily Routine | Longfellow Middle School | Mya Hansen |
| The Greencube | West High School | Erik Buinevicius |
| The Health Band | Longfellow Middle School | Audrey Hardman |
| The PockeTop | Neenah High School | Courtney Corrente |
| The Vital Monitor | Longfellow Middle School | Ximena Cavazos |
Phase 2 will require students to develop their business plan in more detail in a 1,000-word executive summary. Place finishers will be announced in early June and will be eligible for cash and prizes. The grand prize winner will have the opportunity to present their winning idea June 6 at the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference at Union South in Madison. For more information on the conference, visit www.witrepsconference.com.
The Wisconsin YES! contest is produced by the Wisconsin Technology Council. Major support is provided by WEA Trust, Intrepid Charitable Partners, The Boldt Company, UW-Madison Office of Corporate Relations, and the Wisconsin Technical College System.
Contest partners include the Department of Financial Institutions, Department of Public Instruction, the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators, Make a Difference Wisconsin, Project Lead the Way Wisconsin, STEM Forward, Wisconsin Association of School Boards, Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers and Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials.
The Tech Council is the independent, non-profit and non-partisan science and technology adviser to the Governor and the Legislature. It serves as a catalyst for tech-based economic development in Wisconsin through programs such as the Tech Council Investor Networks, the Governor’s Business Plan Contest and the Tech Council Innovation Network.
Learn more at www.WisconsinYES.com or contact the Wisconsin Technology Council at 608-442-7557.
Wisconsin YES! youth biz plan contest open for entries online
The countdown is under way for middle- and high-school students to enter Wisconsin Youth Entrepreneurs in Science, a statewide youth business plan contest modeled after the successful Governor’s Business Plan Contest. It is open for online entries from Wisconsin middle- and high-school students through 5 p.m. April 2, 2018.
Public, private and home-schooled students across Wisconsin are eligible to turn their science- and tech-related ideas into business plans and compete for cash and prizes. The contest begins with a 250-word summary submitted through www.WisconsinYES.com. Entries that advance to Phase 2 of the competition will expand their idea into a 1,000-word executive summary. Throughout the process, students get feedback from professionals across Wisconsin who will serve as judges.
As a tool for educators, Wisconsin YES! fosters interest in science and tech education, and encourages students to be independent, creative thinkers capable of problem solving.
“Leveraging technology, thinking creatively and working as a team are all important characteristics for today’s entrepreneurs,” said Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council. “Entrepreneurial skills are vital to the long-term success of Wisconsin’s youth, as well as the state’s innovation economy.”
To get started, students create a simple account at www.WisconsinYES.com. All entries are submitted through the website. Students use their account to gain access to judges’ comments and feedback. Templates and sample entries for both phases are available on the website, along with other entrepreneurial resources.
Timeline:
Phase I: Idea Abstract
Phase 1 entries due by: April 2, 2018
Entries should be roughly 250 words (or no more than 2,000 characters – including spaces).
Phase 2: Executive Summary
Phase 2 timeline: April 16, 2018 – May 7, 2018
Entries that advance to Phase 2 of the competition will submit a 1,000-word executive summary.
The end of each phase is followed by about one week of judging. At the end of the judging period, all contestants will be able to log in and view the judges’ comments.
Students are able to work in teams or as individuals and will be judged based upon their grade level, with the oldest team member determining the team category. Students or teams may enter multiple ideas.
Place finishers in each category – 9th grade and under, 10th grade, 11th grade and 12th grade – are eligible for cash and prizes. The grand prize winner will present his or her winning idea at the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference, June 6 in Madison. Past winners have hailed from Weston, Brookfield, New Glarus, La Crosse and Oshkosh.
The contest is produced by the Wisconsin Technology Council, with major sponsorship provided by WEA Trust and Intrepid Charitable Partners. Supporters of the contest include: Wisconsin Technical College System, Department of Financial Institutions, Department of Public Instruction, the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators, Make a Difference Wisconsin, Project Lead the Way Wisconsin, STEM Forward, Wisconsin Association of School Boards, Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers and Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials.
The Wisconsin Technology Council is the independent, non-profit and non-partisan science and technology adviser to the Governor and the Legislature. It serves as a catalyst for tech-based economic development in Wisconsin through programs such as the Tech Council Investor Networks, the Governor’s Business Plan Contest and the Tech Council Innovation Network.
La Crosse high school twins win annual ‘Wisconsin YES!’ youth business plan contest
Christine and Elizabeth Hlavacka, both 10th graders at Aquinas High School in La Crosse, are the grand prize winners in Wisconsin YES!, a statewide youth business plan contest for students in middle and high school.
The Hlavacka’s website application, WeWork.Biz, more effectively matches youth with employers for jobs and volunteer related opportunities. This tool has resources and supports services for users and will allow employers to offer incentives and promotions to participating youth.
They will present their winning idea June 7 at the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference in Madison during the awards luncheon for the Governor’s Business Plan Contest. For more information on the conference, visit www.witrepsconference.com.
In addition to taking steps to create a product from their business idea, they each received a certificate of entrepreneurship relating to their participation in the 2017 UWL Innovation Lab and are members of the National Honor Society and are Girl Scouts, presently working on the Gold Award. Christine is interested in studying marine biology or health science in college. Elizabeth is interested in studying veterinary/animal science and business in college.
Students submitted their ideas in a 250-word online summary to compete in Phase 1 of the contest. Professionals from across the state served as judges, provided feedback and scored the ideas. About two-dozen entries were selected to move on to Phase 2, where they submitted 1,000-word executive summaries covering company overview; product or service description; customer definition; market description, size and sales strategy; competition; management team; financials; and capital needs.
Second place was awarded to Rachel Krouse of Whitman Middle School for her entry Solar Hat, a hat that has disguised solar panels on the top that collect energy and are able to charge electronics. Zahra Jazayeri of Brookfield Academy was awarded third place with his entry Fareed’s Falafel, a traditional falafel restaurant that only uses completely vegan and organic ingredients.
Other participating finalists in the fifth annual contest, including the school and names of team members, were:
- BactiTrax (Whitman Middle School) Zoe Del Vecchio;
- CHONPS (Brookfield Academy) Yue Chen, Lena Ding, Ray Jiao and Arianna Reed;
- Evercase (Longfellow Middle School) Lilian Ladd and Kate Tarrence;
- Fareed’s Falafel (Brookfield Academy) May Coumbe, Zahra Jazayeri and Najuf Malik;
- Hydro-Filter (Whitman Middle School) Isabel Jensen;
- IKeyPad (Crivitz High School) Taylor Bemis and Annabelle Kosmecki;
- Interpreter (Longfellow Middle School) Micah Korb;
- Le Petit Delhi (Brookfield Academy) Mark Bechthold and Rohan Nangia;
- Lucidum Candle Company (Brookfield Academy): Isabelle Krantz, Abby Schlosser, Liese Wareham and Jeffrey Zhou;
- My Sports Equip (Crivitz High School) Shane Bauer and Ethan Pelkin;
- PAC Pen (Whitman Middle School) Anastazja Branski;
- Perfect Pocket Clothing (Wayland Academy) Alex Walker;
- Protein Poppers (Brookfield Academy) Jack Cahalane, Connor Guest, Ethan Kaas and Liam Matthews;
- Quick-Wash (Whitman Middle School) Alexander Graham;
- R Xessories (Middleton High School) Rohan Shah;
- Sand Towel (Whitman Middle School) Ethan Espinosa;
- Sightless Pen (Longfellow Middle School) Ella Birschbach;
- Solar Hat (Whitman Middle School) Rachel Krouse;
- Sozoderm (Longfellow Middle School) Greta Krueger;
- Spoky’s Bikes (West Salem High School) Ian Munger
- Talker (Longfellow Middle School) Micah Korb;
- VeganToYourDoor (West Salem High School) Ewa Wosz;
- biz (Aquinas High School) Elizabeth Hlavacka;
- Wind Clips (Whitman Middle School) Cooper Krause
The Wisconsin YES! contest is produced by the Wisconsin Technology Council. Major support is provided by IBM, The Boldt Company, Intrepid Charitable Partners Inc., UW-Madison Office of Corporate Relations, and the Wisconsin Technical College System.
Contest partners include E-seedling, Nasco, Colony Brands, Fiskars, the Department of Financial Institutions, Department of Public Instruction, the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators, Make a Difference Wisconsin, Project Lead the Way Wisconsin, STEM Forward, Wisconsin Association of School Boards, Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers and Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials.
Modeled after the successful Governor’s Business Plan Contest, Wisconsin YES! is designed to teach students how innovation in science and technology fields can be developed into plausible business plans. It is an opportunity for students to explore the connections between science, technology and entrepreneurship, and for educators and judges to cultivate an interest in these arenas. Visit www.wisconsinyes.com to learn more.
24 entries advance to Phase 2 of the Wisconsin YES youth biz plan contest
A statewide panel of judges have selected 24 entries to advance to Phase 2 of Wisconsin YES!, a youth business plan contest for students in middle school and high school.
Students submitted their science- and tech-based 250-word business summaries through the contest website – www.WisconsinYES.com – in April to compete in Phase 1. One hundred and forty-eight entries were received from around the state, a record number of entries since the inception of the contest.
Professionals committed to the development of young business leaders in Wisconsin served as judges, scoring the entries and providing constructive feedback to the students.
Entries advancing to the next round, including the school are:
- BactiTrax (Whitman Middle School) Zoe Del Vecchio
- CHONPS (Brookfield Academy) Lena Ding;
- Colored Flame Candles (Brookfield Academy) Liese Wareham
- Evercase (Longfellow Middle School) Lilian Ladd
- Fareed’s Falafel Business Plan (Brookfield Academy) Zahra Jazayeri
- Hydro-Filter (Whitman Middle School) Isabel Jensen
- IKeyPad (Crivitz High School) Annabelle Kosmecki
- Improved Pocket Clothing (Wayland Academy) Alex Walker
- Interpreter (Longfellow Middle School) Micah Korb
- Le Petit Delhi (Brookfield Academy) Rohan Nangia
- My Sports Equip (Crivitz High School) Shane Bauer
- PAC Pen (Whitman Middle School) Anastazja Branski
- Protein Poppers (Brookfield Academy) Liam Matthews
- Quick-Wash (Whitman Middle School) Alexander Graham
- R Xessories (Middleton High School) Rohan Shah
- Sand Towel (Whitman Middle School) Ethan Espinosa
- Sightless Pen (Longfellow Middle School) Ella Birschbach
- Solar Hat (Whitman Middle School) Rachel Krouse
- Sozoderm (Longfellow Middle School) Greta Krueger
- Spoky’s Bikes (West Salem High School) Ian Munger
- Talker (Longfellow Middle School) Micah Korb
- VeganToYourDoor (West Salem High School) Ewa Wosz
- biz (Aquinas High School) Elizabeth Hlavacka
- Wind Clips (Whitman Middle School) Cooper Krause
Phase 2 will require students to develop their business plan in more detail in a 1,000-word executive summary. Place finishers will be announced in early June and will be eligible for cash and prizes. The grand prize winner will have the opportunity to present their winning idea June 7 at the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference at Union South in Madison. For more information on the conference, visit www.witrepsconference.com.
The Wisconsin YES! contest is produced by the Wisconsin Technology Council. Major support is provided by IBM, The Boldt Company, Intrepid Charitable Partners Inc., UW-Madison Office of Corporate Relations, and the Wisconsin Technical College System.
Contest partners include E-seedling, Nasco, Colony Brands, Fiskars, the Department of Financial Institutions, Department of Public Instruction, the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators, Make a Difference Wisconsin, Project Lead the Way Wisconsin, STEM Forward, Wisconsin Association of School Boards, Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers and Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials.
The Tech Council is the independent, non-profit and non-partisan science and technology adviser to the Governor and the Legislature. It serves as a catalyst for tech-based economic development in Wisconsin through programs such as the Tech Council Investor Networks, the Governor’s Business Plan Contest and the Tech Council Innovation Network.
Learn more at www.WisconsinYES.com or contact the Wisconsin Technology Council at 608-442-7557.
