NFTE

Sustainability and AI took center stage at the Bay Area Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase this weekend, where students pitched ventures designed to solve real-world challenges.

Congratulations to our first-place winner, Saumit Pathak of Silver Creek High School School in San Jose, whose business, LeftoSense, uses AI to scan and analyze food to determine whether it is safe to eat. Saumit will go on to represent the Bay Area at the NFTE National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge this fall in New York City!

Congratulations also to our runners-up:
🥈 Leo Le and Kathy Cheung of Abraham Lincoln High School for BamBrush, a bamboo toothbrush with coconut-fiber bristles that offers a plastic-free hygiene solution.
🥉 Rizquin Jahan for Sortify, an AI-powered platform that organizes files, enables smart search, and synchronizes across devices.

We were also proud to honor Imani Butler as our Bay Area Teacher of the Year. Imani's dedication to entrepreneurship education has empowered countless students, including this year's first-place champion, and continues to inspire the next generation of innovators and changemakers.

Thank you to EY for hosting this year's event and helping create an unforgettable experience for our students, educators, volunteers, and supporters. We can't wait to see what's next for these young entrepreneurs!

⚾ New York, show up for the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Join NFTE at the Mets vs. Red Sox game on July 10 at Citi Field, where NFTE will be honored as the nonprofit of the game. When you purchase your ticket through our link, a portion of every sale goes directly toward supporting NFTE students and entrepreneurship programs across New York City.

⏰ Flash sale alert: discounted tickets are now available through June 10.

Your ticket helps young people build business ideas, strengthen career-ready skills, and gain the confidence to shape their futures.

Bring your family, friends, or fellow baseball fans and join us for an exciting night at the ballpark — all while supporting NYC youth.

🎟️ Get your tickets here: https://okt.to/b8iRdP

We hope to see you there!

Congratulations to Elian Gutierrez, first-place winner at the NFTE LA Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase, for Little Miss — a period product pouch designed for accessibility, convenience, and confidence. Elian will represent Los Angeles at the NFTE National Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase this fall in New York City. 👏🗽

Congratulations also to our other outstanding student entrepreneurs:
🥈 Alicia Tri — JobWix
🥉 Bella Li — Naviu
⭐ Paula Espinoza & Berbury Hernandez — Neurox

We’re also proud to recognize Jalina Chatzipantsios of Nightingale Middle School as NFTE LA Teacher of the Year, and Tori Pappas and EverBank as our Volunteers of the Year.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating the creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit of LA’s young people. The future is bright. 💡✨

Calling all Dallas-area volunteers! NFTE is looking for in person mentors and judges to support BizCamp students this June at UNT Dallas.

Spend a few hours helping young entrepreneurs develop their business ideas, practice their pitches, and prepare for competition. Your encouragement and expertise can make a real difference.

📍 UNT Dallas
7300 University Hills Blvd, Dallas, TX

Coaching Sessions
June 4, 11 & 17 | 9:30–11:00 AM CT

Competition Day Judging
June 18 | 12:30–3:00 PM CT

Whether you can join us as a coach or a judge, we’d love to have you.
Register here:
🔗 Coaching: https://okt.to/1CKJrR
🔗 Judging: https://okt.to/7zwcPC

Know someone in Dallas who would be a great fit? Tag them below!

The NFTE Philadelphia Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase with Mastery Schools brought together incredible student pitches, thoughtful judging, and a lot to celebrate.

Congratulations to our student winners:
- Za’miiaah McKnight, Christian Rich, Jaini Vargas Gomez, and Dyland Ventura from Mastery Schools Thomas Campus, who won the Fast Pitch competition with Auto-LOCK
- Nassata Gbapo from Mastery Schools Simon Gratz Campus, who won the Runner-up competition with GSTEP
- Sierra Hampton from Mastery Schools Pickett Campus, who won the Most Improved Student competition with Glow Green

We were also proud to recognize Joel Barnett as NFTE’s Individual Volunteer of the Year for his outstanding commitment to supporting NFTE students in Philadelphia.

Thank you to our partners at Mastery Schools and everyone who helped make this event such a memorable celebration of youth entrepreneurship.

The future of entrepreneurship was on display at the Chicago Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase ✨

NFTE students pitched innovative business ideas in a fabulous space generously provided by PayPal, a longtime NFTE partner committed to supporting the next generation of innovators.

Congratulations to our winners:
🥇 Malik Oladokun — Helply, an AI-powered platform connecting young people with community service opportunities
🥈 Jaylen Moore — Hydro Sleeve, a smart athletic sleeve that tracks hydration in real time
🥉 Navelle Drake — Beat Build, stylish hearing solutions designed to seamlessly integrate with modern technology

We also proudly honored:
🏆 Dr. Tom Lee (Holy Trinity High School) — Teacher of the Year
🏆 Stefon Towler — Individual Volunteer of the Year
🏆 Charles Schwab — Corporate Volunteer of the Year

Thank you to everyone helping empower the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Big ideas, bold pitches, and inspiring young entrepreneurs took center stage at the St. Louis Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase hosted at T-REX.

Congratulations to our winners:
🥇 Jayla Moore, founder of Mindset — a storytelling platform helping youth build resilience through fictional and relatable stories, reflection, and anonymous engagement.
🥈 Mustafa Muni, founder of JumpStart Sports Academy — bringing after-school sports programs directly to schools.
🥉 Andre’a Hakins, founder of STL Bling — jewelry designed to help express mental health without words.

We also proudly honored Albie Mitchell of SSD South Technical High School as our Teacher of the Year for his incredible dedication to empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs. 👏

Thank you to everyone who helped make this showcase such an energizing celebration of innovation, creativity, and youth entrepreneurship in St. Louis!

We’re so grateful for the ways you support NFTE. Your input helps us grow, and with only 5 days left before it wraps up, we hope you’ll take a few minutes to share your feedback in the survey below. Thank you for being part of this journey with us! https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8592727/FB

Thank you to SC Johnson, A Family Company for their generous $10,000 grant supporting NFTE’s Aspiring Entrepreneurs Program in Chicago!

Through this partnership, students from under-resourced communities across the Midwest will gain access to entrepreneurship education, business plan development, mentorship, and real-world innovation experiences that empower them to pursue their dreams and create positive change in their communities.

We’re grateful for SC Johnson’s commitment to creating opportunity — and for investing in the next generation of entrepreneurs and changemakers.

Congratulations to the winners of the NFTE South Showcase! These young entrepreneurs impressed judges with innovative business ideas, strong storytelling, and entrepreneurial spirit.

🥇 Gizelle Terrones from Career Institute North with Gigi’s Homers
🥈 Carlos Anez from Career Institute North with Powerful AI Hydration Bottle
🥉 Muna Dukes from Grand Prairie School for the Highly Gifted with Aiyana

Gizelle and Carlos will go on to represent the South at the National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge this fall! 🚀

We also celebrated our Entrepreneurship 2 competition winners:
🥇 Volley Connect — Grand Prairie School for the Highly Gifted
🥈 Flash Cloak — Bryan Adams High School
🥉 NostalJar — Career Institute East

A huge thank you to Comerica Bank for hosting this incredible event and supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs.