Seven Peaks School welcomed FoundersPad mentors Chris Capdevila, Cari Baldwin and Dino Vendetti to share their startup expertise with middle school entrepreneurs in a Shark Tank-styled competition for the student’s most innovative ideas.
50 teams entered the competition and the top 13 pitched their ideas at the inaugural Shark Tank event on Friday, November 7. Competing for $1,800 in prizes, the finalists focused on delivering their best possible pitch.
“It is truly amazing how innovative and passionate these kids are,” said Capdevila, co-founder of FoundersPad, “exposing them to the world of startups at an early age is a great way to cultivate a more entrepreneurial generation in the future, starting right here in Bend.”
After deliberation by the judges, first place prize was awarded to Exer-Jump, an app that lets users play music, listen to workouts and record their stats all while getting exercise and second place was awarded to The Umbie, an innovative umbrella with extensions that allow the user to cover their entire body.
“With so many great ideas, it definitely was not an easy decision,” said Vendetti, co-founder of FoundersPad and General Partner of Seven Peaks Venture Fund. “The good news is we’ve got an impressive crop of entrepreneurs to keep our eyes on in the coming years.”
While FoundersPad’s core curriculum revolves around accelerating more advanced tech startups, the FoundersPad mentor team is looking forward to participating in future Shark Tank competitions and explore additional opportunities to expand entrepreneurial education to students in Central Oregon.
“You can never start too young with this stuff,” Capdevila added, “whether or not these kids end up building the next Google, the skills learned through a process like this have limitless applications.”
About FoundersPad
FoundersPad is a technology accelerator based in Bend, Oregon that helps innovative startups scale rapidly and prepare for investmentvia highly customized, intensive accelerator sessions.The organization’s purpose is to partner with scalable companies in high-tech industries to provide top-notch mentors, curriculum,and Lean Startup tools to achieve critical milestones for growth. Since its inception in 2012, FoundersPad has helped 14 startups that have raised over $5.5 million in funding and collectively have added over 40 employees. Visit www.founderspad.com for more information.
