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Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship Hosts Annual Teen Elevator Pitch Competition

Starting a business or inventing a new product is possible at any age. The Teen Elevator Pitch Competition held in St. Louis every year gives high-school students the opportunity to pitch their ideas, ranging from an online clothing store to a drive-thru wait time app.

SLU’s Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship hosted the annual Teen Elevator Pitch Competition on Sunday, Dec. 8 at the Metropolitan Square Building in Downtown St. Louis. Twelve finalists out of 88 total video submissions were selected to pitch at the finals.

2019 Teen Elevator Pitch Finalists

Finalists of the 2019 Teen Elevator Pitch Competition hosted by SLU's Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship pose for a photo after winners were announced at the event at One Metropolitan Square Dec. 8. 

Local St. Louis business leaders from different backgrounds served as judges for the competition and provided well-rounded expertise in critiquing how persuasive and effective students were in pitching their business ideas. Four students with the best elevator pitches were awarded $2,750 in cash prizes.

Jessica Peterson from Webster Groves High School won first place with her idea on sports and music refurbishing and were awarded with $1,000.

Second place and $750 went to Amelia Chapman from Fox High School with her idea for an innovative new type of clothing hanger.

Dylan Fox from John Burroughs with his idea on combating world hunger through online payments and Charles Steinbaum from Clayton High School with his idea on tech assistance for at risk youth and elderly shared third place. Each were awarded $500.

The Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship works with high school students to develop their networking skills and business ideas to prepare them to succeed not only in academia, but also in competitions and in the business world. The center holds national competitions to spark entrepreneurial ideas at Saint Louis University and beyond, providing opportunities like the Teen Elevator Pitch Competition to inspire students to develop their ideas into actual businesses.