Watch Batavia High student entrepreneurs enter the Shark Tank
Batavia High School juniors and seniors in the INCubator Entrepreneurship course have been preparing all year for the final Pitch Night at 6 p.m. Friday, May 6, at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre, 1201 Main St. This "Shark Tank"-style event will include teams of three and four students pitching their new products and services to real investors from the local area.
The Incubator Entrepreneurship course from INCubatoredu offers students a real entrepreneurship experience and is sponsored by the Batavia Foundation for Educational Excellence.
During class, students work in teams to create and fully develop a product or service, and local entrepreneurs and business experts serve as volunteer coaches and mentors, guiding student teams through Lean Startup processes of developing hypotheses about a business concept, testing those hypotheses, adapting, and further iteration. The program also includes foundational business topics such as marketing, human resources, business law, and finance.
"This is authentic learning for our students," said Brad Newkirk, Batavia Unit District 101 Chief Academic Officer. "There are so many important skills that they are learning. They are problem solving with every obstacle that comes their way - and there are plenty. They are thinking on their feet, having to pivot on ideas, and are constantly collaborating with each other, their team mentor, coaches, and instructor. That's real life, and that's exciting."
Juniors and seniors in the INCubator Entrepreneurship course already got their first dose of the hot seat during first-round presentations to Batavia Foundation of Educational Excellence members and local business experts in February. Five of the 11 teams that presented earned initial funding - up to $500 - from the Batavia Foundation for Educational Excellence.
The entire community is invited to the final Pitch Night May 6 to find out which, if any, students survive the shark tank and walk away funded business owners - before high school graduation.
For information about Pitch Night, including event sponsorship opportunities, visit BataviaFoundation.org.
Batavia High School INCubator mentors include: Jeff Adeszko, CCL Label; Tasha Allred, Williamsburg Academy; Vince Clemente, ERC Delivery Service; Len Davis, Pure Imagination; Rick Fossali, Potbelly Sandwich Shop; Tony Hotko, CCS Technology; Phil Keiken, UXFactory; Valinda Kennedy, IBM; Mike Schutt, Sungard Fox River Execution; Jason Stoops, Stoops Enterprises, LLC.; and Mike Walker, SAS Institute Inc.
Batavia High School INCubator coaches include: Bill Adkins; Tasha Allred, Williamsburg Academy; Joe Ambrose, SalesWerks Inc.; Jon Benditz, BFC Print; Alex Carsi, Interiors for Business; Len Davis, Pure Imagination; Brian Duchek, Sears Holdings Company; James Grimse, McCain Foods; R.J. Heinz, Tellabs; Tony Hotko, CCS Technology; Ellen Huxtable, Advantage Business Concepts; Brian Joosse, LiftMaster; Mike Kluber, Kluber Architects; Rob Knanishu, Project Consulting Services Inc.; Damon Morse, Chicagoland's Medical Services Organization LLC; Cara Newkirk, White Plate Creative; Nicole Oke, Motorola Solutions; Jeff Robinson, Fifth Third Bank; Sean Sebold, Sebold Capital Management Inc.; Chuck Toth, Ricardo Lighting; Nathan Uno, Cultivate Studios; Tom Von Lunen, Rotary Club of Batavia; Matt Winkle, Weldstar; Bill Wolford, Flynn Scientific; and Dan Yunker, Metropolitan Health Care Council.