SEATTLE, April 18, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Teens from throughout the Seattle region will compete for best startup pitch at TiE Seattle’s 2019 Young Entrepreneurs Startup Pitch Competition Regional Finals. The annual event, sponsored by TiE Seattle, the local chapter of the largest entrepreneurial network in the world, will take place on Sunday, April 28, from 10 am to 1 pm on the Microsoft Campus.
Three finalist teams will compete for a $5000 cash prize. The winning team will also have the opportunity to compete with teens from around the world at the TiE Young Entrepreneurs Global Competition, held in Boston on June 21.
The competition is part of TiE Seattle Young Entrepreneurs (TYE), a unique year-round program that guides high school students as they create and launch their first real business while mentored by TiE Charter Members, an exclusive non-profit network whose members give back in terms of time and experience. Students are taught by real-world successful entrepreneurs and business leaders in a one-of-a-kind opportunity not offered by other organizations in the area, taking a business idea and turning it into a prototype in just eight months. The program culminates with the competition and the winning team moving on to compete against other teen entrepreneurs from throughout the world.
Finalists include:
- Team Volunticity, a non-profit that helps high schoolers find volunteer opportunities in their local communities
- Team ForGift, a platform designed to aid customers in creating personalized, unique gift ideas
- Team FreeSpace, a platform that helps individuals lease and rent out parking spaces and open lots on an hourly basis
Also presenting will be the winners of the 2018 TYE Seattle Startup Pitch competition, Team Zigantic, a mobile validation platform for mobile and PC game developers which recently secured $20,000 in seed funding.
“The TYE competition is about helping students learn the principles of entrepreneurship, and getting them ready to compete against other students from around the world in this unique, one-of-a-kind program,” said Vinita Ananth, Program Chair of TYE Seattle. “The intensive training and mentorship by experienced entrepreneurs and business leaders has resulted in the Seattle team consistently placing high against others from all over the globe.”
Judges include Cameron Borumand, Associate, Ignition Partners and co-founder, Curious Capital; Jennifer Ritzinger, Senior Director, Developer & Platform Evangelism, Imagine Cup, Microsoft; Kelly Wright, Board Director at Fastly, Amperity, and Even, and Instructor, University of Washington Foster School of Business; and Sharmilli Ghosh, President of TiE Seattle.
The event is free and open to the public.
About the TYE Seattle Program
TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) Seattle, one of the programs offered by TiE Seattle, focuses on teenagers (9th-12th grade levels) who are interested in exploring the challenges and rewards of becoming an entrepreneur.
Register now for TYE Seattle Regional Finals competition here. More information about TYE Program in Seattle can be found here.
Media Contact:
Belinda Young
BYPR
byoung@bypr.com
206-932-3145