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Pitch Contest

Wisconsin YES! seeks student entrepreneurs

The Wisconsin Technology Council has announced a statewide youth business plan contest for middle and high school students. Modeled after the Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest, Wisconsin Youth Entrepreneurs in Science (Wisconsin YES!) encourages students with business ideas that use technology to apply.

In 2021, the first and second place winners of the contest came from the metro\ Milwaukee area. The state’s big winner was New Berlin Eisenhower freshman Pranil Panda. The budding entrepreneur’s company, All Weather Glowing Fish Bait, is an artificial bait that can be used for multiple species of fish in any weather, water depth or condition. The core product is a lure with adjustable light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, that can be set to catch different types of fish known to be attracted to light in different colors and hues.

Brookfield Academy sophomore Mona Khosla placed second with her business, Making Telehealth Accessible to Seniors, which is an innovative solution targeted to make Telehealth more accessible to less technical savvy elderly people.

According to the Wisconsin Technology Council, the mission of the contest is “to help young people learn how science and technology innovations can be developed into solid business plans.”

They add, “Building a more entrepreneurial and tech-savvy workforce is a challenge not only for Wisconsin, but the United States as a whole as the nation struggles to produce a globally competitive pool of workers. One example is the emerging gap between jobs in the IT sector and the number of anticipated graduates in that fieldThis contest will help middle- and/or high-school students to better envision careers in science and technology, and especially where those disciplines intersect with the creation and growth of businesses.”

Wisconsin YES! is accepting application for the contest until April 13, 2022, at 5:00 PM. Learn more about this program here.