Anthony Driver, a senior at Chicago International Charter School – Ralph Ellison Campus, was recognized as the 2011 Future Founders Citywide Business Plan Champion at the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC)’s Future Founders competition.
Driver’s leadership and ingenuity were demonstrated in his business concept, called “Charge ‘N’ Go,” which offers electronic recharging stations for consumers’ mobile devices in metropolitan areas like Chicago. His business model ensures on-the-go consumers that their source of communication and information will always be charged and available.
At the competition, which took place at the Hard Rock Café in downtown Chicago, students presented their projects in front of 300 guests who ranged from peers to local business leaders. The competition was the culmination of a year-long program where 200 students from seven South Side Chicago high schools were given insight on creating and managing their own businesses from 125 of the city’s top entrepreneurs and business leaders.
The judges evaluated student projects in three categories: technology, products and services. Driver was selected the overall champion of all three, while other winners were recognized in separate categories, including:
• Product Category Winner: Karalyn Kelley (junior, Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy), whose “Food Girl” concept focuses on preparing and delivering homemade, healthy and organic lunches for high school students.
• Service Category Winner: Michael Padilla (freshman, EPIC Academy), whose “Off the Map Tutoring” concept offers tutoring to students struggling with various academic subjects. Padilla is the first freshman to win in the competition finals.
The CEC awarded more than $25,000 in prizes, including $10,000 in scholarships to the Future Founders Academy, an entrepreneurship camp conducted in June. Other prizes included college scholarships, laptops, Microsoft-branded accessories and personal shopping sprees to provide new business wardrobes.
Abbie Cornish Krista Allen Hayden Panettiere Jules Asner Whitney Able
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