This year, the Grand Junction Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) Investor Panel selected Alivia Nicodemus, the CEO of Home-Town Macrame, as the 2023 Grand Junction Young Entrepreneurs Academy Saunders Scholar finalist. All students pitched their business ideas, in March 2023, to the investor panel with a five-minute presentation which was followed up by a Q&A portion conducted by the judges.
Next Friday, June 16th, Alivia will be competing against 19 other young CEOs from across the country in what will be the 15th Annual YEA! Saunders Scholars Competition. There will be three rounds of panel competitions for a chance to compete for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place cash prizes and scholarships that total over $83,000! This competition will be live streamed from the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) YouTube channel and Facebook channel.
As a viewer, YOU will also have a chance to participate in this event! You will have the opportunity to vote via text for the People’s Choice Award which will receive a $1,000 cash prize. Our local CEO, Alivia, is scheduled for the 2:00 – 3:00 PM EST presentation time – so mark your calendars and register! In order to register for this event and to support Alivia, please click here or scan the QR below.
The YEA! Program, hosted and managed by the Grand Junction Chamber, is designed to help middle and high school students become confident entrepreneurs. It is a nine-month curriculum that is hosted in partnership with local chambers of commerce, universities, and local middle and high schools. With this support, students are able to design, pitch, and launch business with founding documents, bank accounts, and websites.
Students between the ages of 11 to 18 are eligible to apply for the next local class now. The YEA! academic year runs from October through May, and classes meet every Tuesday from 4:00-7:00 PM. If you would like more information about the program, please reach out to the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce Workforce Development Manager, David Proctor at david@gjchamber.org or call (970) 263-2916.