BUILD.org Launches Second Annual Southwestern PA Youth Pitch Competition To Bolster Entrepreneurship Education in Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, PA – January 31, 2023 – BUILD.org is excited to announce the Second Annual 2023 Southwestern PA Youth Pitch Competition happening on April 20, 2023. With the generous support of BNY Mellon, Comcast NBCUniversal, DonorsChoose, and the Richard King Mellon Foundation, this innovative entrepreneurship competition highlights BUILD’s mission to ignite the power of youth in underserved communities to build career success, entrepreneurial mindsets and opportunity through offering real-world experiences and skills. All middle and high school students in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties are eligible to participate in this competition. Additionally, Mayor Ed Gainey is expected to attend the competition.

Each team of young entrepreneurs will create a “pitch” for a business, alongside an educator sponsor, and submit a video to enter the competition. Pitch videos are due on March 15, 2023. Students will have the opportunity to complete the BUILD Design Challenge, an interactive, project-based learning program where they will learn to:

• Empathize and identify a problem in their school and community

• Develop a business idea to help solve the problem 

• Practice their pitches and create a 2-3 minute video pitch submission

• Pitch their ideas live to a panel of judges in the final round to win cash prizes and bragging rights for their school or organization!

“The City of Pittsburgh is thrilled to bring this competition back to students in Allegheny and Westmoreland Counties for a second year in a row,” said Lamar Blackwell, Founding Director, BUILD Pittsburgh. “Pittsburgh has seen enormous economic growth over the past year, however minority communities and students haven’t gotten a chance to capitalize off that development. Students and educators will have the opportunity to learn about the entrepreneurial mindset (through the Southwestern PA Youth Pitch Competition) and the skills needed that will equip them for the future of work and ultimately, economic mobility and freedom for all.”

All educators will receive a free, one hour professional development training session on the BUILD Design Challenge and Design Thinking Principles, and 10-hours of free curriculum to help their students implement Human-Centered Design. The top 4 student finalists will face-off in the celebratory event on April 20, 2023.