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LAUSD competing entrepreneurs (From left: Fajardo, Giron, Williams and Soto)
Three teams of business-savvy LAUSD students competed last night in Hollywood for the chance to win cash prizes and a bid in a national competition for young aspiring entrepreneurs.
Hosted by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE LA), a nonprofit that offers entrepreneurial education to low-income LA unified students, the competition took place at the Hollywood agency CAA and brought together budding entrepreneurs from three high schools in Los Angeles who had been culled from over 2000 students. They pitched their ideas to a panel of judges hailing from multiple industries.
The winning pitch? A new toothpaste that turns blue after two minutes of brushing, an idea hatched by Joshua Fajardo and Eddy Giron from Hawthorne Math & Science Academy. The duo won $3000 and a place in the national competition next fall. Second place was award to Jose Soto from Dorsey High who pitched a product called Keepenn that organizes keys.