KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship Announces 7 Finalists for 2017 People's Choice Student Startup Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information contact:
Heather Holst-Knudsen
KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship
Founder and Chairman of the Board
(646) 271-5516
heather@kidbackerfoundation.org

SARASOTA, FL, March 9, 2017 - KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship (KFE) is delighted to announce the seven finalists for this year’s People’s Choice Student Startup Awards in the for-profit and nonprofit categories. The People’s Choice Student Startup Awards offers business grants to winning startups run by founders 25 or younger and is a joint collaboration between KFE and HatchPad, a new social learning network and collaboration platform for student entrepreneurs. HatchPad provides the platform for student entrepreneurs to showcase their businesses and participate in competitions and KFE provides the funding for the business grants.

Participants go through a rigorous submission process which includes creating a venture page on HatchPad, securing social traction, submitting an executive summary, investor deck, a customer facing video and an investor facing video, detailed financials, market sizing, current traction, and other important information. Participants are evaluated based on the feasibility and growth opportunity their businesses represent. Judges will score and provide feedback to each participant and select a winner in the For-Profit Category as well as the Non-Profit Category. Winning teams will receive a $2,500 business grant.

For-Profit Finalists
Centree - Smart Cities and Car Crash Detection (Atlanta, GA)
Detrapel - Superhydrophobic Repellent Using Nanotechnology (Philadelphia, PA)
Gauge Insights - Enterprise Digital Research Solution (Atlanta, GA)
Greetale - Send Handwritten Greeting Cards From Your Phone (Houston, TX)

Nonprofit Finalists

4GirlsTech - Committed to Powering the Generation of Change (San Francisco, CA)
TeensGive.org - Connecting Teens With High Quality Volunteer Opportunities (Purchase, NY)
Transfernation -  Food Rescue From Events to Underserved Communities (New York, NY)

“I am very impressed by the quality of the submissions and the passion that these young founders have demonstrated. And it’s not just the passion that is inspiring, it’s the fact that these young entrepreneurs are in high school, applying to college, in their first year of college or in some cases, focusing their first jobs right out of college while also running an active company. These are not lemonade stand ideas but rather businesses that solve real problems for large markets,” says Heather Holst-Knudsen, Chairman of the Board and Founder, KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship and CEO & Founder of HatchPad.

Judges include:

• Cristin Frodella, Global Head Marketing, Google for Education
• Danielle Strachman, Founding Partner, 1517 Fund
• Renee Farmer, Managing Partner, Rainmaker Capital
• John Euliano, Angel Investor and Leader in Education
• Barbara Raho, Angel Investor and co-founder of Urban Outfitters
• Holly Zimmerman, Managing Director, Golden Seeds
• Mario Ciampi, Partner, Prentice Capital and former President The Disney Store
• Aaron Easaw, Managing Director, Ace Capital
  
  
  

KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship and Hatchpad have positioned themselves to attract, develop and fund the next generation of talent and business leaders to lead sustainable economic growth around the world. KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship is a critical part of our children’s future.

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​About KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship, Inc.: KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship aims to attract and develop the next generation of talent and business leaders so that they have the mindset, skills and resources to take charge of their futures and lead sustainable economic growth for the nation. KFE awards business grants and academic scholarships to young entrepreneurs and will be developing in-classroom programs for middle and high school students. KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation under the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Read about KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship’s sister organization, Hatchpad, a social learning network and collaboration platform for student entrepreneurs. http://www.hatchpad.co/