Baker Hosts Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge

Baker University will host the inaugural Douglas County E-Community Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC) 9-11:30 a.m., March 2 in Baldwin City.

The YEC program is part of Network Kansas and seeks to expose students in grades 7 through 12 to entrepreneurship through an experiential learning opportunity. YEC fulfills the mission of Network Kansas to promote an entrepreneurial environment throughout the state by establishing a central portal that connects entrepreneurs and small business owners with the right resources—expertise, education, and economic resources.

Five Baldwin High Schools teams and three Eudora teams will compete and were required to create a product, service, or an idea that could lead to a future business plan. They will be judged on their elevator pitch, a formal presentation, and a tradeshow presentation. The winner of the Douglas County competition will compete at the Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge in Manhattan, Kansas, on April 24, with $18,000 in prize money awarded.

All events are held in Collins Library, with the exception of the awards ceremony, held in the Music Building, A-V Room. The 9 -10:45 a.m. tradeshow portion and the awards ceremony from 11:00-11:30 a.m. are open to the public.