Loudoun Middle Schooler Earns Top Honors in 2021 Young Entrepreneurs Academy Investor Pitch Competition
$5,000 Investor Capital Awarded to Six Students in 5th Annual YEA! Business Plan Competition
Lansdowne, VA – The Loudoun Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) held its 5th Annual Investor Panel on March 23, 2021, where 21 local student entrepreneurs pitched their business plans to a panel of investors and local business leaders live on a virtual presentation platform.
Grand Prize Winner Abhinav Sheth, Eagle Ridge Middle School, founder of Out of the Box Costumes
Presented by the Loudoun Chamber Foundation and the Loudoun Economic Development Authority, YEA! Loudoun is a 7-month program that teaches local middle and high school students how to develop, pitch and launch their very own small business.
Yuvraj Chauhan, founder of ZBOT, student at John Champe High School
These student entrepreneurs competed for $5,000 in investment capital and the chance to represent Loudoun County at the YEA! National pitch event, which will be held virtually this year.
Similar to the hit show “Shark Tank,” the YEA! Loudoun students pitched their business plans to a panel of investors, who decided which students would receive investments to fund their business.
This year’s YEA! Investor Panel included Alice Frazier of BCT-The Community’s Bank, Bernard Mustafa of BE FIT Technologies, (both Loudoun Economic Development Authority members), Preeti Sarnaik of Wells Fargo, Jenny Culnen of Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, Larry Melton of The Building People, and Theodora Petrakis of SeKON.
The 2021 YEA! Loudoun Investor Panel winners are:
- $1,500 – Abhinav Sheth, Eagle Ridge Middle School
Out of the Box Costumes – unique, innovative, STEAM based DIY costume kits that bring imagination to life - $1,000 – Yuvraj Chauhan, John Champe High School
ZBOT – an innovative virtual robot to make small businesses more efficient - $1,000 – Aryaa Agarwal, Broad Run High School and AOL
Bubblery – a customized, vegan body and skincare brand formulated just for you - $500 – Harlow Stanley, Belmont Ridge Middle School
Clean Halo – natural shampoo bar for the best hair day everyday - $500 – Ella Sultani, Freedom High School
SULT INC. CANDLES – candles with crystals that align you- with You - $500 – Chela Hess, Stone Hill Middle School
StyleSip by Chela – a business that celebrates Black and multi-racial women through hand-painted wine glasses and accessories
Aryaa Agarwal, Broad Run High School and AOL, founder of Bubblery
Applications are open for the Class of 2022 until June 12, 2021. Students can apply online, www.LoudounChamber.org/YEA.
The 2021 supporters for YEA! include Loudoun County Public Schools, Loudoun Youth, Inc., Loudoun Department of Economic Development, and the Mason Enterprise Center. Platinum Sponsors, Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, Wells Fargo; Investor Panel Sponsors, PNC Bank, SeKON, The Building People; Scholarship Sponsors, Backflow Technology, Integrus Holdings, Inc., Northwest Federal Credit Union/Northwest Federal Credit Union Foundation, One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning; Graduation Sponsor, Stryker Spine; Design Sponsors, Additional Corporation, Altered Edge, Bluewing Creative, Conveyance Marketing Group, Gabriel Brown, Marie Boshoff, Mike Burns, and Paperfish Creative.
# # #