The results are in and the AFS BizEx 2018 team is moving on to the Diamond Challenge pitch event. The Diamond Challenge was created through Horn Entrepreneurship, a cornerstone for entrepreneurial activity based at the University of Delaware. The students who will be making the pitch for the AFS team in the Diamond Challenge are Cole Lewis, Yolanda Du, Seth Pokrifka.  Chris Liang and Josh Eisen were also on the 2018 BizEx team. The Live Pitch Event will take place on Saturday, March 2 at the Pennovation Center.

The new BizEx 2019 team will be working on The Diamond Challenge, as well. Last Friday, Rachel Strauss from the Horn Institute for Entrepreneurship came to talk to the students about the Diamond Challenge and did an interactive pitch challenge with the students in which they had to come up with a one-minute elevator pitch for a new coffee company. They had to include what the new idea was, what made it different from the competition and what the incentives would be to purchase the coffee. The winning team won gift cards for having the best pitch!

Otherwise, it was a busy week for BizEx! Last Thursday, Dave Campbell, Biz Ex Mentor and Chair of Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week came to talk to the students about the free summer program (highly subsidized by companies) that Biz Ex students from AFS often participate in. Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week (PFEW) is a one-of-a-kind summer program that offers incoming high school juniors and seniors a unique and challenging opportunity to see what it is like to run their own business. Participants will make up an “imaginary” management team where they will learn first-hand about the Free Enterprise System. Their task — turn a failing company into a financial success! PFEW also provides students the chance to experience what it is like to live on a college campus.

Finally, AFS parent Ross Shanken, came in to talk to the BizEx group last Friday about his journey as an entrepreneur and start up company, Jornaya— a data analysis company.