On May 13, 2015, the Youth Entrepreneurship Program at Skyline College (YEP) hosted its 6th bi-annual Student Business Plan Competition. This year, YEP received twenty business plan submissions – our largest competition to date! Out of all the entries, ten businesses advanced on to the Final’s Round for a chance to present their ideas before a panel of industry judges. In order of 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, the Spring 2015 Student Business Plan Competition winners are:
- J’s Automotive, A women-owned and operated automotive business.
- Montego Bay, A down-home Jamaican restaurant.
- Fortune Cookie Empire, A new spin on an old favorite, the fortune cookie.
Congratulations to all of our winners!!
The Student Business Plan Competition has grown to include more participants, stronger business ideas and ever-increasing involvement with the campus and community. The Competition provides coaching and mentoring to the students, in addition to external resources and support. YEP has also been fortunate to partner with the Business Division, specifically, the Small Business Management course (BUS 150), for additional support and participation. As a testament to such a collaboration, two of this year’s winners were also enrolled in the course.
In addition to the cash awards, student receive valuable feedback and advice form the judges. Our judges all hail from various business backgrounds and companies, and include business owners, tech company executives, branding consultants and public speaking experts. Students participating in YEP receive one-on-one coaching and mentoring from YEP staff, local business owners and faculty to help refine ideas and develop other transferable skills.
On behalf of YEP and the Global Learning Division, we would like to thank the President’s Innovation Fund for providing support, through its network and funding, for this program-we look forward to their continued support. We also want to thank Skyline College students, administrators, faculty and staff for their support of YEP and this year’s Competition!
For more information on the Student Business Plan Competition or on how to be involved in YEP, please contact Pcyeta Stroud: stroudp@smccd.edu.
Article by Pcyeta Stroud
