SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — High school students with a business idea or a business they have already launched are invited to participate in the seventh annual High School Pirates Pitch competition hosted by the Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business. Learning the basics of entrepreneurship and recognizing viable business opportunities while participating in this competition styled after “Shark Tank,” the next generation of entrepreneurs will compete for more than $50,000 in cash prizes and scholarships to attend Seton Hall.
“We recognize how our business climate has been rocked by the unprecedented COVID-19 global health crisis and that entrepreneurial education is even more important than ever before,” said Susan Scherreik, founding director of the Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “Students participating receive crucial business lessons on how to be nimble and flexible. I am always impressed by their talent, passion, creativity and confidence. This generation demonstrates a can-do entrepreneurial spirit that we need now more than ever to solve the many challenges the world faces today.”
High school sophomores, juniors and seniors with a grade-point average of 3.0 or better are eligible to submit their original business proposals that describe an innovative product or service in 350 words or fewer. Interested students should submit an individual application by Tuesday, Oct. 26.
Each year, this event receives approximately 200 submissions from future business leaders hailing from New Jersey, as well as entrants from throughout the nation and the world. The competition final takes place in November during National Entrepreneurship Month.
Ten finalists will be selected in early November and invited to present their business ideas to a panel of judges from Seton Hall University on Friday, Nov. 19. Judges are successful alumni entrepreneurs, corporate leaders and business faculty. There will be a five-minute question-and-answer session for each finalist, and all will receive feedback from the judges.
The top contestant will receive a $2,500 cash award and a $10,000 tuition scholarship. The second-place winner will receive a $1,000 cash award and a $6,000 scholarship. The remaining finalists receive a $4,000 scholarship to the university.
For more information on this event and to apply, visit https://www.shu.edu/undergraduate-admissions/pirates-pitch-competition.cfm.
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