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Seniors’ Business Idea is Ray of Sunshine in Pitch Contest
Six Clayton High School students competed in the inaugural Clayton Catalyst Pitch Competition held on Wednesday, May 9, in the CHS Commons, taking turns pitching their business ideas to four local business professionals. Following the presentations, the judges convened and ultimately named seniors Erin Bingaman and Barrett Bentzinger as the winners of this year’s competition. The pair will use the $1,000 prize funded by the Clayton Education Foundation to grow their business, The Sunshine Box. Watch the competition here.
Clayton High School juniors and seniors are working on the next big thing. Through the school’s new Clayton Catalyst program held in conjunction with the Business Management and Entrepreneurship course this semester, the students are developing their own entrepreneurial concepts with guidance from industry professionals and their teacher, Justin Hildebrand.
Clayton Catalyst is a multifaceted program Hildebrand has been developing this year by making connections with CHS parents, alumni and members of the St. Louis business community. Through a speaker series and visits to local companies and business incubators, students are learning about businesses both big and small spanning a variety of industries.
“The Clayton Catalyst program works to provide students with exposure to as many different industries as possible, from Fortune 500 companies to local nonprofits, so they can get a jumpstart on exploring the different career options that are available to them,” said Hildebrand.
Students are using the knowledge they’re gaining through the course curriculum and from presentations by outside professionals this semester to develop entrepreneurial concepts based on their own passions and interests. Thanks to a grant from the Clayton Education Foundation, the students received seed money to bring life to their ideas, which could range from a product or service to a nonprofit organization or event.
“We were challenged to find a solution for a problem that is manageable,” said senior Barrett Bentzinger, who plans to pursue a business major in college. Barrett and her business partner, Erin Bingaman, are developing an app to help users organize the rewards/points they earn from making purchases at different restaurants. While the pair envisions the app’s eventual success on a global scale, they are starting small by incorporating only Clayton businesses for now.
Barrett and Erin, along with their classmates, will pitch their business concepts to a panel of outside professionals during a competition in May. The winning team will receive a $1,000 cash prize funded by the Clayton Education Foundation grant.
Hildebrand plans to continue growing Clayton Catalyst next year with a yearlong Global Business and Entrepreneurship class that will provide students with even greater opportunities for hands-on, experiential learning. Students will take part in job shadowing, internships and other networking opportunities, in addition to taking part in actual consulting work for local businesses.
“My vision for this program is to help students make real life connections with the course curriculum by immersing themselves in a professional environment,” said Hildebrand. “They will gain valuable business skills while building their professional networks and learning more about the industries in which they are passionate.”
Professionals interested in partnering with the Clayton Catalyst program should contact Hildebrand at justinhildebrand@claytonschools.net.