On Thursday, October 10, 2024, members of EBIT, and CDS sophomore entrepreneurs Gabriel Lopez, Nishant Shah, and Bryce Wagner, traveled to New York City to compete in the nineteenth annual National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge in Times Square. Hosted by NFTE, the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, this nonprofit organization ignites the entrepreneurial mindset with unique learning experiences that empower students to own their futures. The challenge was presented by the Citi Foundation and Ernst & Young, with support from PayPal and Santander, and sponsored in part by the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation.
The Challenge is one of NFTE’s signature events and the most high-profile business plan pitch competition of the year, drawing teams of students from high schools and colleges across the United States. Entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, investors, and industry executives from across the nation attend to witness students pitch their entrepreneurial business plans.
With what began as last year’s showcase of entrepreneurial talent at Carrollwood Day School’s Pitch Contest, hosted by EBIT, a group of determined freshmen founded their own LLC, Eco-Vision. Their journey started with a victory at the school level, which you can read about HERE, leading them to compete on the national stage in Miami in May 2024. Thanks to their hard work, the Eco-Vision team made it to the finals in this year’s National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge, where they competed among the nation’s best teams!
Created by Gabriel, Nishant, Bryce, and a team of their peers, Eco-Vision is a med-tech company that uses virtual reality technology to bring nature to the bedside of the chronically ill. It is a non-invasive therapeutic tool that increases neurotransmitters in the brain, decreasing depression, and speeding up recovery.
After much research, their team found the long-proven healing benefits of nature were missing for these patients, who are often unable to leave their beds. Their innovative technology and cutting-edge ideas have led to Eco-Vision’s collaboration with the Mayo Clinic for long-covid therapy, and Moffitt Cancer Center for anxiety reduction before treatment. A research paper has been submitted for publication that you can read HERE, but their study is constantly adapting to meet the needs of the ethics departments and the physicians they work with, so their focus may shift as the needs of those they serve shift. Eco-Vision is currently patent-pending, and while in New York City, Gabriel, Nishant, and Bryce pitched Eco-Vision to two businesses.
The CDS community is incredibly proud of the Eco-Vision team's achievements, from the pioneering members who launched the initiative to those who continue to drive its success today. You can follow their progress HERE. It’s this entrepreneurial spirit that truly distinguishes our CDS Patriots and sets them apart, and we can’t wait to see what lies ahead. Congratulations, Eco-Vision team, and keep leading the way!