TVHS Students Take Top 2 Spots At Biz ContestROCHESTER - On Thursday, two teams from Tippecanoe Valley High School traveled to Rochester to compete in the third annual First Pitch Competition by FEDCO.
For the competition, high school students from Fulton County school districts (Caston, Rochester and Tippecanoe Valley) created business plans and presented them to a panel of judges.
Senior Andrew Burke finished in second place with his business Hello World.
He pitched the business concept of an app that allows audio-to-audio translation. The app would provide its users with the opportunity to speak directly into their device, which would turn around and translate the phrase into the desired spoken language. Burke’s inspiration largely came from the inability to understand other languages and a desire to allow people from all backgrounds the chance to connect with others.
Juniors Brittany Benn, Abby Bowers and Carissa Slone took first place in the competition with their business Reboot.
Benn had been in an accident earlier in the school year and was confined to a medical boot for five months. Motivated by her experience in a boot, the group created the concept for a new type of medical boot that allows for interchangeable soles, an adaptable ankle locking system and breathable padding within the boot. The judges loved how the group turned Benn’s bad experience into something that could greatly benefit others in a similar position.
The two teams represented the TVHS Entrepreneurship class, which held its own competition on March 21 and 22 to select which teams would advance. In the class, 11 teams competed for two spots in the First Pitch Competition. Throughout the project, students gained valuable insight into the process of developing a business plan and business pitch, according to a news release from Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation.
