A Columbus North student is moving to the next round of a youth entrepreneurship competition after presenting a pitch on his fully operational social media marketing agency.
Four teams from local high schools competed at The Maverick Challenge Bartholomew County Finals on Jan. 21, pitching their business plans for a chance to win cash prizes and a complimentary Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce membership.
Columbus North junior Siddhant Jain came in first place with his pitch, Sid’s Studios, and will represent Bartholomew County at the regional finals.
CSA New Tech senior Haylee Cain came in second place with her business idea, TeenReady Staffing. Other competitors at the county finals included Fuoco Concerto from CSA New Tech seniors Solis De Luna and Henry Tadd and Exotics Hospital from CSA New Tech seniors Jodie Crider and Dark Johnson.
Over the last semester, the four teams competed against 31 other groups in the county, with their “innovative and well-crafted business plans” earning them invitations to the county finals, chamber officials said.
“Siddhant Jain impressed the judges with Sid’s Studio, a social media marketing company that employs students and is steadily growing its client roster,” said Chamber President Cindy Frey.
Sid’s Studios LLC creates, manages and promotes media content for businesses and individuals in a monthly subscription format. Chamber officials said that the venture is “already a profitable business in Columbus with two part-time employees.”
The runner-up, TeenReady Staffing, is an in-person staffing company for 14- to 17-year-olds.
The Maverick Challenge is coordinated and sponsored by the chamber. The competition is designed to give high school students firsthand experience with entrepreneurship through business pitches and digital curriculum on foundational business concepts. Since its inception in 2008, the program has awarded over $100,000, and thousands of students have participated.
This year, 330 students from Bartholomew, Dearborn, Franklin/Ripley, Jackson, and Scott counties are participating. Finalists from each participating county will compete for the overall prize at The Maverick Challenge Regional Finals, which will be held on Feb. 18 via Zoom.
Local partners for the Maverick Challenge include the chamber, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp., IUPUC’s Division of Business, the Ivy Tech Columbus Garatoni School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the Southeastern Indiana Small Business Development Center and Velocities.
