More than 200 people attended American Heritage Schools’ inaugural high school Business Incubator Pitch Challenge, where five finalist student-created companies presented to a distinguished panel of judges and vied for a chance to secure investments and recognition as top innovators. The culminating event took place Monday, Nov. 25 at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Coral Springs.
These aspiring entrepreneurs, all enrolled in an advanced business and entrepreneurship curriculum modeled after Harvard Business Review materials, delivered polished pitches for their student-created companies, demonstrating creativity and entrepreneurial spirit in the competition finals.
The finals came after a year of preparation. The students, all Class of 2025 seniors, spent the full year developing their business ideas in preparation for this competitive event.
Earning first place was GastroGrid, a service company that aims to connect restaurants to produce distributors, which was founded by students Lucas Correa Penna Siqueira, Diego Higueras, Carlos Margenat Ausere and Gino Santos. Second place was awarded to Nixie, a premium model of ink that is not just eco-friendly but also visually vibrant and user-friendly for art, created by students Zohar Eshet, Christina Li, Phoebe Shatkin, Matthew Wang and Catherine Zhao. The third-place team was MinuteAid Clinic, a pop-up/mobile-free clinic that would service local uninsured or underinsured families, created by students Sebastian Estrada, Iris Fan, Calvin Mathew and Likhitha Selvan.
The event started with an introduction from Dr. Douglas Laurie, president of American Heritage Schools, and Jonathan Fichman, business incubator instructor of the Business and Entrepreneurship Pre-Professional Program at American Heritage Schools. Cash prizes and trophies were awarded to the top three teams, recognizing their hard work and innovation.
The judges’ panel consisted of top-tier industry leaders bringing expertise from various sectors to evaluate the pitches. Judges included Rita Case, president and chief operating officer of Rick Case Automotive Group; Jim Ryan, founder and CEO of OutPLEX; Keith Mirchandani, CEO of Tristar Products; Richard B. Toren, co-creator of the Epi-Pen and entrepreneur-in-residence at the Herbert Business School at the University of Miami; and Tom Herskovits, former president and CEO of Specialty Foods and president of Kraft/General Foods.
“My experience as a judge for the American Heritage Business Incubator Pitch Challenge Finals was rewarding and exciting to witness the entrepreneurial and innovative skills being developed at American Heritage Schools,” Case said. “They are building our future leaders and supporting the idea that the ‘American Dream’ is available to all.”
This event is a testament to American Heritage Schools’ commitment to providing a high-caliber, hands-on business education that bridges academic knowledge with entrepreneurial action.
“Our inaugural Business Incubator Pitch Challenge finals were an absolute success,” Fichman said. “It has been very rewarding to see how hard these students have worked this past year and to see their companies come to fruition. We started the Business Incubator and AP Seminar course at American Heritage so students could feel empowered to explore entrepreneurship, critical thinking and real-world business challenges. This real-world experience, pitching in front of esteemed judges, is helping equip students with the skills and connections to excel in the business world.”
American Heritage Schools recently introduced the Business Incubator and AP Seminar class, a unique opportunity for 11th graders to embark on a journey of discovery and creativity. The business side of the class focuses on ideation, invention/research and validation of the product idea; business planning; operationalizing the product idea; creation of financials; pitching/fundraising; marketing; and sales. The AP part of the class prepares students for the AP Seminar exam through steady research and analysis and cross-curricular conversations that explore the complexities of academic and real-world topics and issues by analyzing divergent perspectives.
To learn more about the course, visit https://ahschool.info/ahs-business-incubator.
