STARTedUP Foundation, University of Evansville announce local pitch competition regional competitors

Evansville, Ind. (04/04/2024) — With nearly 3000 statewide sign ups, the STARTedUP Foundation's Innovate WithIN program is the largest high school pitch competition in the country. During the month of April, sixty-one teams across Indiana will be competing to qualify for the state competition with the top team from each region progressing onto state.

"In addition to having another record-breaking year, we have seen such an improvement in the quality of student's pitches and heard from educators of how they have seen a mindset shift in their classrooms," said Don Wettrick, co-founder and CEO of the STARTedUP Foundation. "As an educator of 25 years, when you bring a mindset of innovation into the classroom, things change for students. These young people are able to visualize real-world opportunities and are challenged to explore their own entrepreneurial passions."

On April 15, ten student teams will be competing in the Region 1 competition hosted by the University of Evansville, who has removed barriers for students to attend their school by offering scholarships and making connections within their university and community.

In addition to the financial and relational opportunities offered by the University of Evansville, students are connected to business and civic leaders who also have a passion for innovation and entrepreneurship, especially as they look ahead to growing their future workforce ecosystem. Each of the regional qualifiers will receive mentorship from the Indiana Small Business Development Center and from The STARTedUP Foundation. Uniquely, one team from the region will also receive support from Beck's Hybrids, who is offering business feedback for all teams in the agriculture and natural resources industries.

Individuals from across the state are invited to attend their local competition and experience these impressive student pitches. Residents may join in person on April 15 at the University of Evansville from 9:00AM - 1:00PM CST or attend virtually. More details and registration information can be found at: startedupfoundation.org/region-1

The Region 1 participating teams are as follows:

• Boomerang Learning
  • Kris Lau, Signature School
  • Abdul-Aleem Muhammed, Signature School
  • Parth Patel, Signature School
• Case Flood
  • Ethan Hilton, Signature School
  • Emily Rudolph, Signature School
  • Tolen Schreid, Signature School
• Custos Creations
  • Kaelin League, New Tech Institute
  • Rylie Schelb, New Tech Institute
• Diemond Cuts
  • Johnna Riger, New Tech Institute
• DocuAI
  • Kyah McLeod, Terre Haute North Vigo High School
  • Nate Millington, Terre Haute North Vigo High School
• Double Date It
  • Lexi May, Terre Haute North Vigo High School
• HHangers
  • James Belmar, Terre Haute North Vigo High School
• Hydroxy (mentorship from Beck's Hybrids)
  • Lenea Elliot, Perry Central Jr-Sr High School
  • Matthew McKeehan, Perry Central Jr-Sr High School
  • Colten Mitchell, Perry Central Jr-Sr High School
• Victus Energy
  • Jacob Barnwell, New Tech Institute
  • Elie Duff, New Tech Institute
  • Jeremy Watson Jr., New Tech Institute
• Volunteer Bridge
  • Lily Hagan, Mt. Vernon High School

About The STARTedUP Foundation

The STARTedUP Foundation officially launched in 2018 to start building the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs. This is accomplished through three key initiatives: Spark, Develop, and Accelerate. Beginning with sparking innovation through the Innovate WithIN pitch competition; continuing to develop students through the STARTedUP Innovation Educator Fellowship; and accelerating innovation through the creation of the Alumni Association for all students previously engaged with STARTedUP.

About Innovate WithIN

STARTedUP's innovation pitch competition, Innovate WithIN, is the most elite entrepreneurial pitch competition in the country, with ten teams selected within each of Indiana's six regions to compete in the first round of the competition and the top team from each region invited to compete in the Innovate WithIN State Finals. These top teams are competing for $25,000 in seed funding, scholarships, and $10,000 per student in 529 funds.