Philadelphia Students Win Entrepreneurship Challenge Hosted By Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship(NFTE)

Roxborough High School student Anthony Mangine and Woodrow Wilson High School student Irving Santana won the first and second place spots in the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Philadelphia Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. They will represent Philadelphia Metro at the NFTE 2017 National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge in October in New York City where they will present and defend their business plans to compete for prizes totaling $20,000.

First Place winner Anthony Mangine, who attends Roxborough High School, won $1500 for his plan for RipClean, providing a dirt bike cleaning service unlike any other. Second Place winner Irving Santana, who attends Woodrow Wilson High School, created Panda's Charge, and won $1,000, for his plan for an inventive and unique cell phone charger that uses body heat. Latisha Jenkins and Denisha Green from Delaware Design Lab were the third place finalists, receiving a prize of $500 for their plan for Tasty Couture, a customizable, high-end baked goods company.

“NFTE activates the entrepreneurial mindset and builds startup skills in youth both to ensure their long-term success and a more vibrant economy and society,” says Shawn Osborne, NFTE President and CEO. “Youth today are not prepared for the jobs of today or to create and fill the jobs of tomorrow. Many of the high-growth jobs of today barely existed a decade ago and the jobs of the future likely do not exist today. The entrepreneurial mindset is therefore key to success for any young person who wants to be ready for a fast-changing future.”

The judges for the Philadelphia regional competition were: Tony Aponte, Senior Manager, Growth Markets, EY; Harold T. Epps, Director of Commerce, City of Philadelphia; Emeka Oguh, Founder & CEO, PeopleJoy; Scott A. Snyder, Ph.D., Chief Technology & Innovation Officer, Safeguard Scientifics, Inc.; and NFTE Alumnus Vincent Quigg, Founder, TechWorld.

NFTE Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Challenges will take place in cities across the country supported by Microsoft, Santander, and the Citi Foundation, as part of its Pathways to Progress global expansion to prepare urban youth for today’s competitive job market. Additional support for the Philadelphia Regional Challenge was provided by Morgan Stanley, and Pine Hill Group among others. The Philadelphia competition was held on May 23 at WHYY Philadelphia.

Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) is an international nonprofit that activates the entrepreneurial mindset in young people and builds their knowledge about business startup. Students acquire the entrepreneurial mindset (e.g., innovation, self-reliance, comfort with risk), alongside business, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), and presentation skills—equipping them to drive their best futures in the 21st Century. NFTE focuses its work on under-resourced communities, with programs in 22 locations in 9 countries. For more information, please visit nfte.com, like NFTE on Facebook at Facebook.com/NFTE, and follow NFTE on Twitter at @NFTE.

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Photo Captions

• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Philadelphia Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge First Place winner Anthony Mangine
• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Philadelphia Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge Second Place Winner Irving Santana
• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Philadelphia Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge winners (left to right) Latisha Jenkins and Denisha Green, Anthony Mangine and Irving Santana holding their prize money along with judges from the competition.