By Kim McDarison
Maren Selle, a freshman at Fort Atkinson High School, is one of seven finalists selected to compete in the “University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Midwest High School Pitch” competition.
The event will be held virtually.
Seven student teams from throughout Wisconsin and Illinois have been selected to compete, according to information supplied by the competition’s organizers.
Teams this year include students from Fort Atkinson, Menasha, and Spring Green, Wisconsin, and Aurora (two teams), Barrington, and Wilmette, Illinois.
“The hopeful young entrepreneurs are vying for thousands of dollars in an exciting, fast-paced Shark Tank-style event. Students have developed unique business ideas and will pitch their startups to the judges — including angel investors and other successful entrepreneurs — who will dissect their business models with rapid-fire questions,” information supplied by the event organizers states.
Selle will be pitching her concept as an individual rather than a member of a team.
Selle said she became involved in the completion after learning about it from her Marketing Essentials 1 teacher, Michael Quesnell, who joined the high school business teaching staff this school year.
“He told us about this awesome opportunity,” Selle said.
In January, she said, she began working on her entry, which, she said, is “more like a product, and we are creating a business around our product.”
Without giving too much about her concept away, Selle said she was influenced by her experience as a virtual student during COVID-19. Her product is designed to appeal to high school and college students. It is an item that will offer both comfort and style, she said.
Selle said she prepared for the competition during time at home while she was learning virtually and during her study hall time while she was learning using a hybrid model, attending school in-person several days during the school week.
She credited her teacher, “Mr. Quesnell,” with guiding her through the application process and serving as an advisor as she developed her product and business plan.
She next developed a series of slides in which her plan and prototype are featured to share with the judges virtually, she said.
As competition day nears, she said, “I will practice a couple of times and have my family pitch me questions.”
Selle said she is comfortable with public speaking, and sees the experience as helpful as she moves toward her career goals. She plans one day to be a district attorney, she said.
“I think these skills will help me just because I am able to talk in front of people and it will help me with the process of defending someone in a similar business field. I will have that experience. Also, having some experience as an entrepreneur will be a good fall-back,” Selle said in anticipation of the competition and her preparation experience thus far.
“It was a lot of fun and it will be exciting to be able to watch this (product) come to life,” she added.
If she wins money, she said, she plans to save some, donate some to charity, and use some to go shopping.
“The Midwest High School Pitch event was launched in 2017 to foster creativity and innovation at the high school level and highlight the world-class entrepreneurship program at UW-Whitewater. All participants gain invaluable feedback and experience in developing a business model, in addition to honing their pitching and presentation skills,” information released to the media states.
The event is managed by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization. The Whitewater chapter’s mission is to inform, support and inspire college students to be entrepreneurial and seek opportunity through enterprise creation, information continues.
The Midwest High School Pitch competition will be held virtually from 1 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 17. For more details or to RSVP, visit the competition page on eventbrite.com.
Members of the public are invited to view the virtual event.
Fort Atkinson High School freshman and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Midwest High School Pitch competition finalist Maren Selle.
Photo contributed.
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