W.T. Clarke High School students celebrate winning "Best in Show" honors at the final city-wide round of the 2009 Junior Achievement of New York Business Plan Competition. Their business plan "Pulse Nail Polish," was selected as the most innovative idea and the most sound business strategy out of the 14 finalist teams competing. They each received $2,000, a cell phone from AT&T and and an opportunity to apply for a scholarship to attend an entrepreneurial boot-camp over the summer at Columbia University's new Small Business Development Center.
Presented by Founding Sponsor: G.C. Andersen Partners, LLC
Supporting Sponsors: Angelsoft, AT&T, Columbia Business School & the Fu School of Engineering, Columbia University
Since its debut in spring 1998, this high impact experiential youth entrepreneurship program has grown in popularity and demand, doubling the number of student entries and participating schools in one year.
In the JANY Business Plan Competition, NYC and Long Island high school student teams work under the guidance of corporate mentors to conceive and develop a unique and innovative idea for a business that meets a need or solves a problem in their communities. Over an eight week period, students develop and write comprehensive and compelling business plans which are then judged by prestigious panels of business experts and entrepreneurs in a series of heats to select a final group of student teams to compete in a final city-wide competition that takes place at Columbia Business School, May 21, 2009.
Each finalist team will pitch their plan to a panel of successful business executives and entrepreneurs. The judges select the top 3 winning teams who are awarded cash & prizes in the following categories:
In addition, all three winning teams are eligible to apply for a scholarship to attend an entrepreneurial boot camp over the summer at Columbia University; access to the university's new Small Business Development Center, which provides free resources and advice to make their business plan a reality.
