The boys in Phoenix for Youth Startup Weekend

Entrepreneurship Weekend

By Andrew Ferguson and Joey Lisser
On the weekend of February 10, five members (Jack Beatty, Class of 2022; Andrew Ferguson, Class of 2018; Jack Lacey, Class of 2019; Joey Lisser, Class of 2021; and Jack O’Keeffe, Class of 2022) of the SPARK Entrepreneurship Club, along with teachers, Drew Blanchette ’96 and Rickesh Kotecha ’00 travelled to Phoenix, Arizona for the third annual Co+Hoots Youth Startup Weekend.
The Youth Startup Weekend was designed to give students the opportunity to start and pitch their own business in just under 54 hours. 

We participated in many team building activities, workshops and an improvised one-minute sales pitch. After our practice pitch, we presented our initial ideas for a potential business. The businesses were voted on and teams were formed based on our interests and skills. We completed our business model, developed marketing and advertising strategies, and surveyed our target market. We created logos and even had them printed on T-shirts just in time for the pitches!

The RSGC students were split among four groups: “Lex-AI” (a virtual lawyer’s assistant), “StickerTracker” (a flexible GPS sticker that sticks on anything), “Supplie” (a DIY equipment rental service) and “ZeeToons Cartoons” (an online art sharing platform). Each group was mentored by working professionals, who shared their experiences and helped us channel our ideas into a business model. 
Jack Beatty appreciated the mentor’s advice and expertise.

“The mentors were very helpful and their specific skill sets helped us make our business a reality,” he said. 

We were fortunate enough to have many unique experiences even outside of Co-Hoots, such as swimming, going to a Phoenix Suns basketball game and hiking to the top of Piestewa Peak. 

Jack Lacey loved the hike.

“It was very rewarding to watch the sunset on top of the mountain,” he said.

At the end of the weekend, each team pitched to a panel of judges. 

“All the teams had excellent and very compelling presentations,” said Mr. Blanchette.

The boys returned home triumphant. Jack B.’s team (LexAI) won the award for customer validation, while Joey Lisser’s (Class of 2021) team (StickerTracker) won the award for communication of their product.

We would like others to share this wonderful experience and will be bringing an event similar to the Youth Startup Weekend to RSGC. Everyone on the trip is eager to participate in future events, whether it be as an organizer, mentor or a participant. We would like to use our newfound knowledge to help us propel our current Tea, Coffee and Dry Cleaning businesses to new levels and seek new opportunities to explore.
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