Aspiring young entrepreneurs from Severna Park and South River high schools were victorious in ‘shark tank’ fashion at the first regional Diamond Challenge recently held at Anne Arundel Community College.
Twenty-one county students competed against high schoolers from Howard County in a preliminary round of the internationally-recognized Diamond Challenge. The students worked in small teams to prepare and submit a written concept for a business or social enterprise, present a five-minute pitch, and answer any questions about their concepts.
A panel of professionals from Anne Arundel Community College reviewed the written submissions, pitches, and responses, ruling two teams from Severna Park High School and one from Atholton High School as the award-winning and most viable concepts presented.
Preliminary rounds were held in Delaware and Maryland, as well as Kenya, Moldova, and Tunisia. The top teams from each preliminary round advance to the final round at the first annual Youth Entrepreneurship Summit in April in Delaware to compete for funding to launch their proposed business or pursue higher education.
The Diamond Challenge is sponsored by the Horn School for Entrepreneurship at the University of Delaware.
Diamond Challenge – Maryland Winners (from AACPS)
$500 Award Finalists (move onto the final round)
Unified Athletics Concept Team – Severna Park High School
Malorie Johnson
Allyson Lesher
Hydro-Spyder Concept Team – Severna Park High School
Connor Feick
Ben Scherr
Social Impact Award
Unified Athletics Concept Team – Severna Park High School
Malorie Johnson
Allyson Lesher
People’s Choice Award
Fan-powered Electric Car Concept Team – South River High School
William Mayhew
Riley Nickels
Kishan Patel