Meadowbrook High School’s Academy for Digital Entrepreneurship (MADE) sent two teams of five sophomores to compete in the Virginia Entrepreneurial Challenge Oct. 15-16 at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Business. The challenge was a weekend-long entrepreneurship boot camp for high school juniors and seniors.
“The students at the MADE program continue to impress me,” said John Erbach, school board member for Dale District.
“In terms of their innovation and business skills, they are far ahead of even many college students. I am very proud of them and those that lead the program.”
Throughout the two days, teams of five students from across Virginia will be mentored by business leaders, VCU faculty and undergraduate students and Junior Achievement volunteers. Students will propose cutting-edge business ideas that address today’s challenges in Virginia’s economy. The weekend culminated with a pitch competition, with the winners announced by Governor Terry McAuliffe.
The challenge is normally reserved for juniors and seniors only, but the Meadowbrook Academy for Digital Entrepreneurship will be the only program in the state that is sending sophomore students to participate in the event. This is only the second year the program has been offered at Meadowbrook. Teams in this competition had the opportunity to win a cash prize of $2,500, and the winning team also will be entered in the Governor’s High School Entrepreneurial Challenge.
