In a display of creativity and innovation, students in the Entrepreneurship Class step into the limelight during the Annual Business Plan Showcase at the Upper School Miller Campus. This event saw six ambitious teams presenting their unique business plans to a panel of esteemed judges. 

The yearly showcase helps students expand their knowledge and take a deeper dive into the business world. Entrepreneurship students dedicated substantial time and effort since the beginning of the year in preparation for the exhibition. 

“Students from all entrepreneurship classes developed their pitch decks throughout the school year to get to this point. The purpose of the business showcase is not only to present a project, it is a platform for real-world learning and application of entrepreneurial skills,” head of the business department Daniela Brenha said. 

Following the in-class competitions, six selected teams moved on to the business showcase. Juniors Donovan Haynes, Alberto Escobedo, and sophomores Charlotte Nedee and Ryan Beery won the showcase with their team’s innovative app idea, “Pocket Closet” —  designed to suggest outfits based on existing wardrobe pieces — highlighting a keen sense of market demand and creativity. 

During the presentation process, each team had a tight window — seven minutes for a presentation and five minutes for a Q&A session — to pitch their case to the judges.

“The process was very nerve-wracking but incredibly rewarding as it is my first step into the competitive business world,” Nedee said.

This process helped students not only grow their knowledge in business, but also allowed for efficient collaboration with others.

“The part that I loved the most about this experience was working with a completely diverse set of people; before the project started, we barely knew each other’s names,” sophomore Ryan Beery said. “During the showcase, we played very well to all of our strengths, which hid a lot of weaknesses we encountered during preparation.” 

Teachers were involved in organizing the showcase and demonstrated the effectiveness of the school’s business education program. 

 “It’s about bringing the theoretical aspects of our curriculum to life,” Brenha explained. 

On April 10th, the “Pocket Closet” group again represented the International Business Signature Program at the Innovative South Florida Pitch Competition, competing against over 9 teams from highschools across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach County. Awaiting the results, Haynes is proud of how dedicated the group was throughout the journey and anticipates an outcome that reflects the continuous work they put in.

“I think we performed more confidently compared to the other teams and hope that the judges’ decisions reflect that when the results come out,” Haynes explained

The Business Showcase and Innovative South Florida Pitch Competition highlights the Business Department’s particular focus on developing entrepreneurial skills to maximize students’ potential in the field. As seen by the recent success of the Entrepreneurship’s “Pocket Closet” team, hands-on learning in an academic setting helps students build the confidence towards applying institutional knowledge to real-world scenarios.