LYNN — Business consultancy organization Entrepreneurship for All teamed up with the Boys and Girls Club of Lynn to hold the first ever teen business pitch competition.
Children, teens, and parents gathered in the Lynn Boys and Girls Club gymnasium Thursday night to hear Boys and Girls Club teens pitch their business ideas in 10 minutes. The three teams presented their business ideas to a team on Judges from Eastern Bank.
After deliberations, the judges asked each group a series of questions before EforAll Lynn Executive Director Kat Lawlor announced the winners. The first place basket went to “To Go!” three-in-one, a solar-panel phone battery and bluetooth speaker presented by Jadiel Baez and Amy Huynh.
Second place went to El Cartel Records — a non-profit record-recording organization meant to support low-income families trying to make music, presented by Nelson Labor and Edwin Ventura. Third place went to Nature’s Roots, a curly hair product line that focuses on its natural ingredients and affordability, presented by Roger Suarez Garcia and Tad Virgile.
Lawlor said that EforAll worked with the kids beforehand to help them formulate business ideas and structure their pitches. She said that she enjoys seeing children excited about entrepreneurship.
“They worked super super hard, we did a bunch of workshops beforehand, worked with them to formulate their business pitch, and I’m most excited just about the kids getting into the entrepreneurial spirit. A lot of times, when you ask a kid ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ no one says they want to start a business,” Lawlor said.
Eastern Bank Vice President and Business Banking Relationship Manager Adriana Moschella teamed up with Lawlor to organize the contest.
“We really wanted to peak the entrepreneurial spirit of the community and of the youth, and we wanted to give them the courage that if they had an idea, there’s resources for them, and tell them not to be afraid to try,” Moschella said.
Baez said it took him weeks before he could pick his idea, but once he completed it, he enjoyed the program.
“When we were told about the contest, I was in there for weeks. And one day, I was just in the office, and I thought about it, and I chose Amy to be my partner. It was fun, and I’m really excited,” Baez said.
Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at [email protected].
