DALLAS ISD HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO COMPETE IN ‘SHARK TANK’-LIKE ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETITION 

After six weeks of entrepreneurship instruction, 14 juniors and seniors will pitch their ideas to four judges as part of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Start-Up Summer Camp; winner to compete in the national event in NYC

WHAT: The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Start-Up Summer Camp at UNT Dallas is a six-week experience where students deepen their entrepreneurial mindset while refining their business models, developing their products or services,  and mastering marketing and management skills.

Fourteen Dallas ISD high school students were chosen to participate in the camp, learning to create a pitch deck and a detailed financial plan with the option to create a minimally viable product. Having concluded their six-week camp, the juniors and seniors will pitch their business ideas and their progress attracting venture capital – ‘Shark Tank’ style — before an investment panel.

The benefits are many, including guidance from industry business advisors through the program. Students practiced their entrepreneurial mindset through interactions with volunteer Investment pitch advisors and judges drawn from NFTE’s network of successful founders and businesspeople. Volunteers hosted weekly field trips to entrepreneurial organizations in the region.

All participants earn certifications and badges, including a Design for Delight certification and Google and Shopify badges that showcase their skills and credentials.

WHO:  Fourteen students from various Dallas ISD high schools will pitch their business, product and service ideas to four judges from area companies in a competition modeled after the TV program “Shark Tank.” The winner receives a $300 award and a free trip to the national competition in New York City in October where regional winners from around the country will face off. The second and third-place winners receive $200 and $100 awards.

NFTE is a global education nonprofit that empowers partners to integrate entrepreneurial education across curricula and equips youth in under-resourced communities with the skills, connections, credentials, and real-world experiences needed to lead change and own their futures. Since 1987, NFTE has reached more than a million learners worldwide.

WHEN: Thursday, July 18, 2024, at noon

WHERE: UNT Dallas campus in southern Dallas, 7400 University Hills Blvd., Founders Hall, Room 101