Young Entrepreneurs from Silicon Harbor Head to Silicon Valley with the Opportunity to Win Thousands
September 24, 2014
CHARLESTON, SC – Shark Tank. Everyone is familiar with the popular TV pitch show and now two South Carolina young entrepreneurs get their chance to pitch their business plans in a Shark Tank like setting for a chance to win $25,000. Dekeiya Cohen and Jesse Horine are among the top forty-one students in the country to compete in the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship’s National Challenge presented by Mastercard in Silicon Valley on October 9th. Dekeiya & Jesse placed in the YEScarolina Mark Motley State Business Plan Competition in June winning seed money in the thousands plus advancing them to Nationals.
Dekeiya Cohen from West Ashley High School is a winner on and off the court. Cohen’s business, The Catching Prodigy, was formed from her passion for basketball that offers an affordable, yet valuable and simple training apparatus used to improve catching. She has played basketball as long as she can remember! Cohen was recently named SC 4A Player of the Year and is currently on a full basketball scholarship to Baylor University.
Jesse Horine of Fort Mill High School, now a freshman at College of Charleston, is as passionate as they come on the subject of fly fishing. SouthernFly is a lifestyle brand that sells convenience and a complete experience for outdoor enthusiasts & fly fishermen. SouthernFly aims to be an online, one stop shop for all fly fishing needs. “YEScarolina gave me the opportunity to do much more than learn about business in a classroom,” stated Jesse Horine.
Another part of the competition is the elevator pitch video challenge with the prize of $2,500 for most unique votes. NFTE also gives a prize for most creative marketing tactics, which YEScarolina student, Aquila Brown, won last year. The community is encouraged to vote for these young entrepreneurs until the competition ends on October 6th.
“I really enjoyed my time working with YEScarolina. It has been a great experience and has given me more opportunities than I ever could have imagined,” said Dekeiya Cohen. The NFTE National Competition is an opportunity of a lifetime. Dekeiya & Jesse are winners for making it this far, but now the waiting begins to see who will bring home the big check.
Vote now for Dekeiya & Jesse:
Jesse Horine, SouthernFly
Dekeiya Cohen, The Catching Prodigy
About YEScarolina:
YEScarolina, a 501(c)3 non-profit, is the leading organization in the state of South Carolina dedicated to teaching youth the principles of entrepreneurship and free enterprise. YEScarolina has helped thousands of young people from communities statewide build business skills and unlock their entrepreneurial creativity. To date, YEScarolina has trained and certified over 725 South Carolina teachers, free of charge, on the subject of entrepreneurship. Contact Harriett Lee for more information [email protected] or 843-556-1909.
