Student Entrepreneur Competes for Award

by Anna Walsh

Putnam County student Daniel Munson is a finalist in the New York Young Entrepreneur Challenge. 

His company, Volunteer Access, is an online network that has the central purpose of connecting volunteers and organizations. The website serves to help volunteers and organizations gain better access to each other in a world consumed by the internet and other social technologies.

He has been selected as a finalist in the New York Young Entrepreneur Challenge (NY YEC). Munson will present a live business pitch on May 14th during the event sponsored by FrontStreet Facility Solutions, in partnership with Capital One Bank and Sprint. Winners will be named that evening at an awards reception hosted at the Capital One 360 Café in New York City.

“We are incredibly impressed with the talent of this year’s finalists,” Joseph Scaretta, FrontStreet Chief Development Officer, said. “The challenge was expanded to welcome applicants from the entire state of New York, and we could not be more pleased with the turnout.”

 Formerly known as the Long Island Young Entrepreneur Challenge, which launched in 2012, the competition was founded by FrontStreet with the desire to support young entrepreneurs as they bring innovative ideas from concept to start-up.

 The challenge is open to entrepreneurs ages 17-22, who either live in New York or are enrolled as an undergraduate student at an accredited New York college or university. Applicants compete to win up to $10,000 in start-up funding, mentorship and additional support essential for starting abusiness.  

“As a local bank, Capital One Bank is thrilled to partner once again with FrontStreet for the New York Young Entrepreneur Challenge,” said Michael Minerva, Senior Vice President, Capital One Bank. “We look forward to this competition every year because it brings together local business leaders to invest in and mentor young entrepreneurs who are the future of New York. Our support of the entrepreneurs extends beyond today’s challenge – we are here to help them launch and grow their businesses, and do what we can to help them succeed.”

In addition to naming the 2014 NY YEC winners, the reception will feature keynote speaker Colleen DeBaise, director of digital media at The Story Exchange and New York Times contributor. DeBaise is also the author of The Wall Street Journal Complete Small Business Guidebook, a former smallbusiness editor at the Wall Street Journal and has been featured as a guest expert on MSNBC, Fox Business News, CNBC, CBS and NPR.