Five startups founded by Tuscaloosa high school students received seed money from after-school entrepreneurship program Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!), according to Tuscaloosa News.
Last week, the grant awardees in the Tuscaloosa YEA! pitched their business plans to the program's panel. Each was given six minutes to explain their business idea using a PowerPoint presentation. The panel had received money from their sponsors to be given to the young entrepreneurs, the report explained.
Jordan Leopard's photo fashion startup Leopard Prints was awarded $1,500. Cameron McKinstry and Trey Rose's wakeboarding recreational startup Poseidon's Wakeboard Park received $500. J'Lynn Ryan's business The Spirit of Sweets scored $500 to sell cupcakes, cakes, and brownies to local hotels. River Copeland's nonprofit online tutoring service River of Learning pocketed $1,200 from the panel, the report detailed.
Fifteen-year-old Christian Giggie from Holy Spirit Catholic High School received $400 to buy a tablet and a table for his startup called Season's End. The startup will function as an online port for selling used sports equipment to student athletes in Tuscaloosa. He was also chosen as Tuscaloosa YEA!'s representative for the program's regional contest in Florida. A national-level competition is also set to take place this summer, Tuscaloosa News reported.
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