Future Fort Worth leaders gathered at the University of Texas at Arlington Fort Worth campus last week for a serious look at their business plans — and to eat pizza.
The 13- to 16-year-old students took part in the inaugural Young Entrepreneur Summer Camp, a two-week event hosted by TechFW, Junior Achievement of Chisholm Trail, the Fort Worth Park & Recreation Department, Fort Worth ISD and software development platform Lovable. The camp ran from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and ended with a pitch competition between teams Friday.
Students were all drawn from the Rising Stars Youth Leadership Academy, a park and recreation department program focused on education and skills development of students ages 13-17.
Mayor Mattie Parker celebrated the young entrepreneurs during the post-pizza ceremony as she announced the pitch competition winners.
Entrepreneurship is alive and well in Cowtown, Parker said. Still, she noted that the 10th-largest city in the country still relies on Main Street business, built off the work of its local business owners.
“It’s entrepreneurs like each of you. We want you to know that your city is really one of those innovative places to build a business and to feel supported,” she said.
The winning team included Makadence Joshua, 14, a student at Trinity Basin Preparatory’s south campus. Her team pitched a digital app connecting nonprofits with volunteers.
“I had a great time,” she said. “One day, my mother asked me if I wanted to learn how to make an app and I said, ‘Yes.’ I would love to do this again.”
Briana Wucinski, a marketing coach at TechFW, said the goal of the program was to expose young people to entrepreneurship and to expose them to artificial intelligence.
Several regional nonprofits submitted problems that the students could attempt to solve.
“We had mentors, different community partners , coaches, TechFW members as well, who came to help support the students and do different workshops with them and helped them develop their pitches,” Wucinski said.
In addition, several entrepreneurs shared their stories with the students.
“They really got to see the full gambit of what being an entrepreneur can really be,” she said.
This year was a beta test of the concept, Wucinski said. TechFW and the other partners plan to expand the camp next year.
“We want to expand it to a larger audience in the Fort Worth ISD and open it up so more students can participate,” she said.
Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Email him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org.
Disclosure: FWISD manager Pete Geren leads the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, a financial supporter of the Fort Worth Report. FWISD manager Laurie George is a member of the Report’s reader advisory council. News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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