The Central Palm Beach County Community Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce, will host its Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) Investor Panel on Wednesday, March 30.
YEA! is an afterschool program that transforms local middle and high school students into confident entrepreneurs and CEOs.
Throughout the rigorous, seven-month program, students brainstorm and form enterprises, register companies with governmental agencies and, by the end, actually launch their own businesses or social movements.
Students have been working on their business plans since October and have received guidance from business mentors across a variety of industries.
At the Investor Panel, students will have five minutes to present their finalized business plans to a panel of judges and are seeking real financing to cover their first three months of startup costs.
Judges will hear from each business and then proceed to score each presentation in a private deliberation room. The panel will have $10,000 to distribute among the businesses. In addition, judges will select the top business to move on to the regional competition taking place in Rochester, N.Y.
“None of this would be possible without the support of all of our generous donors, especially the co-presenting sponsors of our YEA! program, Florida Power & Light and the Palm Beach County School District,” Chamber CEO Mary Lou Bedford said.
The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.
The Keiser University Flagship Campus (off Military Trail) is hosting the event. Light refreshments and networking with the young entrepreneurs will begin at 5 p.m. and the event will start at 6.
It is a family-friendly environment, and parents are encouraged to bring their children and start shaping the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Visit www.cpbchamber.com to register.
