Wichita, Kansas--- NetWork Kansas’ Entrepreneurship (E-) Community Partnership announces the conclusion of the 2021-2022 Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC) Series. During the 2021-2022 academic year, 1,057 students from 61 Kansas schools participated in 51 local entrepreneurship competitions.
The YEC Series consists of local-level youth entrepreneurship competitions hosted by volunteers. Local YEC Series events require students to prepare an executive summary and a 4-minute presentation and often feature interactive tradeshows or elevator pitches. Students work in teams or individually to represent a business concept and compete for awards and prizes. Students’ work is judged by local entrepreneurs, public sector partners, teachers, and other community members.
The 2021-2022 academic year marks the ninth annual YEC series coordinated by NetWork Kansas and the E-Community Partnership. The YEC Series was created in 2013 to expose Kansas middle school and high school students to entrepreneurship and help them to begin thinking entrepreneurially. The 66-community E-Community Partnership is dedicated to increasing entrepreneurial activity and developing self-sustaining ecosystems favorable to long-term entrepreneurial growth.
Each winning business concept earned the chance to participate at the 2022 Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge (KEC) State Championship. This year, KEC will be held in person at the Kansas State University Student Union. The competition will be held on April 28 and is hosted by the Kansas State University Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship and sponsored by the Kansas Masonic Foundation.
Students won a berth at the state championship by winning a sanctioned YEC Series competition. Fifteen wildcard applicants were also selected in late March by having their executive summary and pre-recorded elevator pitch win out in a competitive qualifying round.
The businesses who advanced to the KEC State Championship will be judged on their executive summaries and four mock boardrooms. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in an optional tradeshow. Overall, $75,500 in total prizes will be awarded to the top young entrepreneurs. To learn more about KEC, visit here.
The Kansas communities that hosted a local YEC series event include Anderson County, Barton County, Bourbon County, Chase County, Cherokee County, Cheyenne County, Clay County, Cloud County, Cowley County, Douglas County, Edwards County, Ellis County, Ellsworth County, Ford County, Girard, Greeley County, Hodgeman County, Kansas City Urban, Kiowa County, Labette County, Leavenworth County, Lincoln County, Marion County, McPherson County, Mitchell County, Montgomery County, Morris County, Morton County, Neosho County, Norton County, Osborne County, Pawnee County, Phillips County, Pottawatomie County, Rawlins County, Reno County, Republic County, Riley County, Rooks County, Saline County, Scott County, Seward County, Shawnee County, Sherman County, Smith County, Stafford County, Sterling, Thomas County, Wabaunsee County, Wichita County, Wichita Urban. Additional communities were invited to participate.
For more information, contact Bailee Henry at [email protected] or visit: www.youtheshipchallenge.com.