007testtest - Global Student Entrepreneur Awards

2021 GSEA US National Competition

22-25 February 2021

Virtual Event

The top 24 students from local GSEA competitions around the United States are gathering virtually to compete for the chance to represent the United States at the 2021 GSEA Global Finals. This event is being hosted in conjunction with Startup Grind’s 2021 Global Conference.

Presented by Startup Grind, the 2021 Global Conference will bring together startups from around the world like never before. The new 4-day virtual event will be hosted in a variety of time zones for over 15,000 global startups, investors, innovators, students, and speakers.

Nothing can replace in-person experiences, but the power of virtual lets us bring education, access, opportunities and inspiration into more homes around the world.

EO has partnered with Startup Grind this year to bring a unique experience to all student competitors. US National Finalists will receive complimentary access to the entire conference. For added exposure, the final round will take place on one of the Startup Grind’s virtual stages with the winner being announced on the main stage!

For more information on Startup Grind, please visit their website.

Agenda

All times are in Pacific Standard Time.

Monday, 22 February 2021
10-10:30am – Welcome Session
11-1:00pm – Forum Session – Students Only
1pm – Startup Grind

Tuesday, 23 February 2021
10:30-1:00pm – Semi Final Round
1:15pm – Finalist Announcement

Wednesday, 24 February 2021
1-3:30pm – Final Round

Thursday, 25 February 2021
11:40-11:55am – Winner Announcement

Student competitors and judges receive complimentary access to the Startup Grind Conference.

Guests must purchase tickets online.

Isaac Hetzroni

Atlanta

University of Florida

Edith Njage

Boston

Hult International Business School

Biography

Co-Founder and current CEO of Arielle for Africa LTD which aims to create over 100,000 jobs in Africa through empowering, training, coaching, connecting and funding entrepreneurs, creating increased financial literacy and empowering corporate leaders. Arielle for Africa currently works with young talent in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa.

Co-Founder of Creative Brain Academy (founded in the Netherlands) which aims to change the path to the ‘Boardroom’ through coaching and career development.

Mentor to 3,656 young people in Africa for 10 years as the Director of Westlands Job Creation LTD which has created 11,000 jobs in 12 African countries.

Country Representative for Invicta Ventures on a mission to fund social impact ventures in developing markets with up to $10 Billion.

Faculty Member for the The Association of African Startups, working to up-skill thousands of entrepreneurs in Africa.

Master of International Business (Disruptive Innovation major) and Master of Science in Finance from HULT International Business School. BBA 1st class honors. CFA analyst challenge 2017. Associate member of Association of Business Executives. Worked with people and companies from 77 different countries.

Isaiah Kelly

Cincinnati

Northern Kentucky University

Ayana Klein

Connecticut

Washington University St Louis

Biography

Ayana was born an artist. An avid lover of music, dance, 3D modeling and drafting, she was inspired by a summer architecture program at Columbia University, and soon after, developed the concept for 3DuxDesign.

“During my summer program, I learned how much more engaging STEM learning can be when softened by bringing in art, design, imaginative play.”

Ayana has been building the 3DuxGlobal platform over the past two years with a goal to support STEM learning in communities around the world with limited access and to foster an awareness of the diversity in communities and cultures across the globe. She is currently spearheading the Global Futures Programwhere students will use 3Dux materials as they imagine, design, build and present their ideas and visions for a better future.

Ayana is currently a junior at Washington University in St Louis, and matriculated into the Olin School of Business to learn the skills needed to continue to grow 3DuxDesign. She envisions a career in a discipline where she can blend her love of the arts with her talents in math and science to create new products that will help solve today’s problems and keep our planet green.

Aryan Bhatnagar

Dallas

Southern Methodist University

Brendan Wang

Detroit

Michigan State University

Biography

Brendan is passionate about helping people live happier, healthier lives with a cleaner, greener planet.

He loves creating novel solutions to everyday problems that have affected him as with the people he aims to serve.

As a current junior at Michigan State University studying Supply Chain Management, Brendan continues to strive toward solving the vaping epidemic to prevent lung diseases and save lives at CAPNOS.

In his leisure, he enjoys being outdoors, physically active, learning new subjects, and connecting with people.

Lucas Vining

District of Columbia

The George Washington University

Biography

Lucas Vining is a scientist, student, and entrepreneur working in the biotechnology and sustainable development industries. His first company, Ichosia Biotechnology, at which he is the founder and CEO, is leveraging novel genetic engineering and stem cell technologies to create a proprietary red blood cell product, called Erythrosyn. In the year the company has existed, Lucas has raised over $150,000 in non-dilutive funding, including a combination of both national and international business competitions, academic grants from leading research universities, and research grants from the federal government.

Using the entrepreneurial skills learned at Ichosia, Lucas more recently founded the 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Sa’akom Farms, which is dedicated to the alleviation of poverty and promotion of education in the Southeast Asian country Cambodia, where Lucas was born. The team is planning to do this through the implementation of vertical hydroponic farming in rural communities to pay farmers a living wage and increase farming productivity. They are currently in talks with one of the largest supermarkets in Cambodia and have just started construction on their pilot farm.

Lucas has also been featured on the Washington Business Journal’s 2020 DC Inno 25 Under 25 list as well as multiple other awards recognizing pitching, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Akshat Sharma

Fort Worth

Rodrigo Mascarenhas

Houston

University of Houston

Robert Sales

Iowa

University of Northern Iowa

Biography

From small-town Pella, IA and the oldest of six, a company of his own was something that Robert always saw on the horizon. In First grade, Robert contracted to mow empty lots for Habitat for Humanity. In Middle School, the art of performing magic captivated Robert and kindled a flame for performing and creating smiles, in High School. Robert discovered during his freshman year at the University of Northern Iowa that the ideas were plentiful and the harvest was plentiful. Soon Robert was sparked with the desire to share how grades, humbleness, and lifestyle along with passion can inspire high school and college students to do what they love.

Remembering years of cooking and baking with his Mom, Robert recognized that the creation of yummy food was a passion. That is where the unconscious love started and influenced Rob’s Mini Donuts in 2018. That venture soon encompassed everyday life and the path became clear. Reflecting on a thrilling entrepreneurial journey and influential week in the summer of 2019 at the Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute brought high expectations into 2020. The disappointment and stress of COVID -19 morphed into a clean slate for the dreams of an entrepreneur to flourish. The acquisition of Rielys Italian Ice grew the indoor area presence of the Rob brand as it was renamed Rob’s Italian Ice. The start of a mobile food vending consulting agency grew an online community with members from all over the world. Attention-grabbing actions and ambitious visions pushed Delicious Dozen Consulting into meetings with Belshaw Automatic Bakery Group, Lil Orbits, Dawn Foods, and discussions with Facebook Groups team management.

The year wrapped up with the reorganization and creation of RNS Foods LLC and the beginning of a thriving business that could no longer be run by one individual. Robert is currently the employer of a team of people who continue to deliver smiles and happy stomachs one dozen donuts at a time.

Madison Maxey

Los Angeles

Stanford University

Noah Jacobson

Minnesota

University of Minnesota

Biography

I love being a student of opportunity and not only creating opportunity for myself, but also creating opportunity for others. I believe that a huge part of being an entrepreneur is making the world a better place, both for the customer and for the worker, and I believe that is best achieved through opportunity.

I believe companies are just like planes because you must have a great leader to get it off the ground. Without great leaders, no matter how great the idea, it will crash and burn.

I say this with humility, but I am not the smartest person you will ever come across. I am not the fastest or the best looking. But I can tell you with great certainty that I am a good leader and I wake up every day trying to make the world a better place. Whether in business or in the class room I love chasing greatness and challenging the status quo. I keep my head up when times get tough and I hope one day I can change the world.

Ian Hill

Nashville

Duke University

Jack Keating

Nebraska

University of Nebraska – Lincoln

Biography

My name is Jack Keating and I am the Founder of Corral Technologies. I am also a senior Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Throughout my life, I have always been entrepreneurially minded and I am constantly trying to improve the efficiency of my life and others. With this spirit and personal experiences at my family’s ranch, I was able to create Corral Technologies. After putting hundreds of hours into Corral, I have been able to find a strong customer base, developed a quality prototype, and build strong relationships with industry experts.

Brianna Makaric

New Jersey

Michigan State University

Lorena James

New York

Davidson College

Tania Speaks

New York

Hofstra University

Haja Isatu Bah

New York

Skidmore College

Steven Guo

Orange County

University of California Irvine

Shreyas Parab

Philadelphia

Stanford University

Biography

Shreyas is a junior at Stanford studying biomedical computation at Stanford University. Although he spends most of his academic time researching and studying bleeding edge technologies like synthetic biology and artificial intelligence, he got his start as a tie salesman. When he was a freshman in high school, he started a novelty neckwear company called NovelTie which sold hilarious, knee-slapping ties to people across the country. He ended up doing $75k in annual sales, one of the youngest suppliers to Walmart where he landed a 20 store pilot agreement, and found customers in Fortune 500 CEOs, activists, and even the current President of the United States. He decided to use his newly gained entrepreneurial knowledge to a childhood past-time: competitive spelling. Having been a 2-time national competitor in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, he and a friend created a company called SpellForSuccess that used digital learning to train the next wave of champion spellers. That company was eventually acquired. He has given 5 TEDx talks across subjects like entrepreneurship and education. He now has spent the past year working on a book collaborating with a Stanford Computer Science PhD on the subject of regulating artificial intelligence.

Benjamin Shapiro

San Diego

San Diego State University

Biography

My name is Benjamin Shapiro and I am a Management student at SDSU with a specialization in Entrepreneurship. I was born in Germany to a British artist and American academic, I hold both US & UK citizenships, and I have had hands-on experience in over 20 countries.

Ever since I built my first computer in middle school I’ve had a passion for technology that can change the world. I am particularly interested in the industries of renewable energy, virtual/augmented reality, space, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.

Janie Bube

Seattle

University of Washington

Biography

Janie is the Original Founder and CEO at Sensol Systems. She has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies, Urban Sustainability, and Public Affiars from Seattle University. She is finishing up her Master’s in Landscape Architecture, Technological Entrepreneurship Certificate, and Project Management Certificate at the University of Washington. She has worked on large-scale landscape projects in Germany, Virginia, and Washington. She has a passion for fixing the broken systems of the built environment, making them beautiful, functional, and sustainable.

Marissa Barlow

Utah

Brigham Young University

Rachel Zietz

Virginia

Princeton University

Biography

Rachel is the founder of Gladiator Lacrosse, a high-quality sports training equipment line with an affordable price point. As a 20 year old, student, athlete, CEO, and dedicated family member, Rachel has maintained a profitable company without ever compromising the brand’s fundamental intent or consumer promise. Rachel has appeared on Season 7 of ABC’s hit television show Shark Tank. She was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for the retail category in 2020- the youngest member in the category. Rachel is currently a junior student at Princeton University.