Sacramento Bee:
Budding teen entrepreneurs from around the country are counting on America’s vote to be crowned champion of the third annual Elevator Pitch Challenge, presented by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) with the support of E*TRADE Bank. As part of NFTE’s 25th Anniversary year celebration and its 2012 National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge, teen entrepreneurs representing 34 businesses will have up to 60 seconds to sell their business ideas to the country in an online video “elevator pitch.” The grand prize winner will receive $2,500 to help get their business idea off the ground or advance their education. Two runners-up will also receive $500 each, and daily and weekly prizes from MasterCard and Southwest Airlines are also available.
Online voting is open now through October 9 at www.elevatorpitch2012.com, where the public is encouraged to view the elevator pitch videos and cast their votes for the best business ideas. Each of the 34 businesses is the brainchild of a high school or middle school student from a low-income community who learned how to start a business in classrooms that incorporate NFTE’s unique, experiential entrepreneurship curriculum.