Bryn Mawr College Hosts "YEA!" Philadelphia Investor Panel

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy of Philadelphia (YEA!), hosted an "Investor Panel" on Wednesday, March 19 at Bryn Mawr College for ten rising stars.

The goal was for students ages 11-16 to present original business plans to a group of judges. Financial compensation was awarded to participants and the grand prize winner was 15-year-old Michelle Lu.

She was selected for creating a digital travel forum called "iChina". Lu will now advance to a national competition in Rochester, N.Y., similar to ABC's "Shark Tank".

Other students involved were: Lilia Becker, Nzinga Suluki-Bey, Max Beck, Chloe Surbeck, Charlie McKinlay, Tori Campbell, Samantha Raymond and Nick Prieston.

The bright and creative minds in the competition inspired a panel of judges with a variety of savvy ideas.

The esteemed judges included Emily Bittenbender from Bittenbender Construction, Joslyn Ewart from Entrust Financial, Amy Kothari of Alarm Capital Alliance, Joseph Lanzisera from Anexinet, Courtney Seda McDonnell of McDonnell & Associates, and Doreen Mosher from Innovational Services.

YEA! guides high school students through the process of starting and running a legitimate business or social movement over the course of a full academic year. YEA! has graduated 1,394 students in the past nine years, who have started more than 1,000 businesses and social movements.

YEA! was first developed at the University of Rochester in 2004 with the support of a grant from the Kauffman Foundation.

For more details, visit www.yeaphiladelphia.org.