The National Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education (EntreEd) and nine regional partners, BridgeValley CTC (WV), Southern WV CTC, Pierpont CTC (WV), Hazard CTC (KY), Big Sandy CTC (KY), Southeast KY CTC, Mountain Empire CC (VA), Roane State CC (TN), and Western Region Education Service Alliance (NC), are partnering to bring the ESTEAM Pitch Series to local middle- and high-school students in Appalachia. Live virtual pitch events will be hosted by each partner in March.
“At EntreEd, our goal is entrepreneurship education for every student. Our vision for this ESTEAM Pitch Series is to encourage the entrepreneurial creativity of students across Appalachia. We know there are great ideas just waiting to be brought forward, and we want this ARC POWER-funded initiative to be an engaging activity that will encourage teachers and students to develop and pitch those ideas in a competitive environment. As the region begins to recover from the hardships brought on by the pandemic, there will be a great need for entrepreneurial thinking and new ideas. Let’s get started here and now.” -EntreEd’s Executive Director, Dr. Gene Coulson.
To compete, individual students or a team of students must have a teacher identified. Each competition will have two rounds. Round 1, includes a Business Model Canvas submission and a 90-second elevator pitch. Upon internal review, 10 teams will be invited to compete in Round 2, a live pitch via Zoom to a panel of local judges. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three finalists, regardless of team or individual submission. Students aren’t the only winners! Teachers from the three top teams will also receive $500 for their classroom. For additional resources, information, to confirm eligibility, and to register, visit https://www.entre-ed.org/pitch.
The ESTEAM Pitch Series is an initiative of EntreEd’s Fostering Self ESTEAM in Appalachia’s Emerging Workforce project, funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. The project helps middle and high school programs in a seven-state region infuse Entrepreneurship into academic classrooms with a focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) initiatives. To learn more about the project and the ESTEAM Pitch Series, contact Amber Ravenscroft, ESTEAM Project Director, at aravenscroft@edvgroup.org.
