Rural Weld County students win cash awards at Youth Entrepreneurship Fair – Greeley Tribune

Tate Kelley and Caleb Breyers of Platte Valley Middle School at the Youth Entrepreneurship Fair. (Courtesy/Generation Schools Network)

Judges recently awarded seven Weld County students cash prizes for their business plan presentations at the Youth Entrepreneurship Fair.

Northeast Colorado middle and high school students attended a Youth Entrepreneurship Fair, hosted by Generation Schools Network, Ogallala Commons and WeThrive, last week in Wiggins, according to a Generation Schools Network news release.

More than 100 students took part in a Shark Tank-style competition where they presented business plans to a panel of judges, the release said. The fair allows young entrepreneurs in rural Colorado to develop a business plan, get feedback and create a plan to further develop their business concepts, according to Generation Schools Network CEO Wendy Loloff-Cooper.

“Building their entrepreneurial talent, social and financial capital in their own backyard is critical to the future of rural Colorado,” Loloff-Cooper said.

The top winners split $6,000 in cash awards, thanks to the OtterCares Foundation, the event sponsor for the third year in a row, according to the release.

Weld County winners

Addison Hodgson of Eaton High School won $500 with Ringside.

Luka White, Amaya Kneipper, Crystal Ortega and Zach Epperson of Roosevelt High School won $200 with Whiskers and Latte.

Tate Kelley and Caleb Breyers of Platte Valley Middle School won $600 with Pera Comics.