BUILD Showcases Youth Entrepreneurship Competitions Across The Nation For Cash Prizes and Start-Up Funds

“I am pleased to showcase the power of BUILD and youth entrepreneurship at our impactful BUILDFest events. We are grateful to all of our individual, foundation and corporate supporters that make our events possible,” said Bill Taylor, CEO at BUILD. “We want to celebrate our students and educators’ successes with the larger community as they engage in our innovative, project-based entrepreneurship education program(s) that will give students the real-world skills needed to become the CEO of their own lives.”

At the second annual SWPA Youth Pitch Competition, this event highlights BUILD’s mission to arm youth with real world experiences and skills. This event will take place on April 20th at OneValley, 4165 Blair Street, Pittsburgh, PA from 11-1:30pm EST. Each youth team has created a pitch, alongside an educator sponsor, and submitted a video to enter the competition. The top four youth teams will compete live in front of a panel of VIP judges for nearly $10,000 in prizes for youth and educators.

At BUILDFest Bay Area, 40 teams of BUILD high school students representing Bay Area Public Schools will pitch their innovative business ideas to volunteer judges in hopes of earning a final slot at the event. This is the Bay Area’s first in-person BUILDfest event since 2020, and is taking place on May 19th at The University of California Berkeley, MLK Jr. Building, 2495 Bancroft Way in Berkeley. Only three teams will make it to the final round. These three teams will compete in front of a panel of VIP judges and BUILD community members for cash prizes and start-up funds. The event will feature a reception and a Student Business Expo where guests will have the opportunity to meet BUILD’s student entrepreneurs and purchase their unique products. 

BUILD’s Los Angeles office has been running for two years and is proud to have its first-ever BUILDFest LA event! The event is taking place on May 23rd at Roku’s office located at 2501 Colorado Avenue, Santa Monica, CA. Seventy teams of BUILD high school students representing LA Public Schools will pitch their innovative business ideas to volunteer judges in hopes of earning a final slot at BUILDFest Los Angeles. Only three teams will make it to the final round to compete in front of VIP judges and BUILD community members for cash prizes and start-up funds. This event will also feature a cocktail reception.

Attendees will have the chance to engage in a multi-part BUILDFest Boston event that represents the culmination of a year of hard work by BUILD students, and celebrates the transformative power of entrepreneurship. This event will take place at District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston, MA. More than 65 teams of BUILD high school students representing eight Boston public schools will pitch their innovative business ideas to volunteer judges in hopes of earning a final slot at the event. Three finalist teams will be selected, and then have the opportunity to pitch again to judges and community members to secure cash prizes and start-up funds.This event will also feature a reception and Student Business Expo where guests can meet BUILD’s students entrepreneurs and purchase their unique products. 

At BUILDFest New York, attendees will have a chance to engage with the next generation of young entrepreneurs and innovators at a student marketplace and in participating in a youth pitch competition. This event will take place on May 31st at Bowery Terrace at The Bowery Hotel, 335 Bowery, New York City. The city’s leading business, education, philanthropic, and community leaders will be present. Two finalist student teams will pitch their businesses “Shark Tank-style” before VIP judges and attendees have a chance to vote for their favorite team. A cocktail reception will follow afterwards.

BUILD high school student teams representing D.C. schools submitted video commercials of their innovative business ideas to volunteer judges in hopes of earning a final slot at the BUILDFest D.C. Pitch Challenge! This event is taking place on June 15 at EY, Tysons Corner, 1775 Tysons Blvd., McLean, VA. Only three teams will be present in the final round. Student finalists will compete in front of a panel of VIP judges and BUILD community members for cash prizes and start-up funds. A cocktail reception will follow the event.