There was recently a thrilling showcase of entrepreneurial talent at Carrollwood Day School's Pitch Contest, hosted by EBIT! Five teams of innovative thinkers competed for a grand prize of $5,000, presenting their creative business ideas and comprehensive plans to a panel of esteemed judges, including CDS parents and business leaders.
Each team demonstrated their entrepreneurial spirit by identifying real-world problems and proposing innovative solutions. Teams had to identify their target market, opportunities for their product, a marketing plan, how their product would produce revenue, and a business model. They even delved into the competitive analysis in market. This event, the second of it's kind, was a testament to the hard work and dedication of our EBIT members throughout the year.
Congratulations to our winners: 🥇 1st Place: Eco-Vision 🥈 2nd Place: EyeQ 🥉 3rd Place: Paddle Out Sports. Team Sole Cleats also made the top 100 in the state.
Team Eco-Vision, comprised of Bryce Wagner, Nishant Shah, Gabriel Lopez, Bryson Trichler, and Aaron Rifenberick, emerged victorious, securing their spot to pitch their business idea at the Idea Center at Miami Dade College. Their product, Eco-Vision, is a VR product that helps to boost the mental health of people who can't experience the world around them due to illness, surgery, and/or poor environmental conditions. The product creates natural environments that can be explored based on patient preference. In the process giving them all the same positive benefits that being surrounded by nature does.
We extend our best wishes to all our talented entrepreneurs as they continue to showcase their innovative spirit and represent Carrollwood Day School on the national stage. Let's cheer them on as they embark on their entrepreneurial journey!
UPDATE 5.16.24: The Eco-Vision team spent two days in Miami competing against 500 teams from three states (FL, NC, GA). The finished in third place and will now advance to NYC for the 2024 National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge on October 9th and 10th. Their device, which utilizes technology they design specifically to reduce anxiety, depression, and healing rates in the chronically ill will also be tested at the Mayo Clinic this summer in a six week patient study in the Long Covid Clinic. Congratulations team Eco-Vision. This is amazing!
Thank you to Upper School Economics and Computer Science teacher, Chris Thompson for serving as the faculty advisor and supporter of EBIT. A special thank you to Todd and Bryce Wagner as founders of the CDS EBIT club. For more information about EBIT, click here.