Boca Raton, Florida Resident Amanda Benavente Wins Spirit Award at Emerson College Entrepreneurship Expo
Boca Raton, FL – COVID-19 did not stop fourteen dedicated student entrepreneurs at Emerson College from competing in a virtual exposition for cash awards to launch their newly developed business ventures. The Emerson Entrepreneurial Experience (E3) is a year long experiential journey from the classroom into the world of startups. The program culminates each year with a day long event where the Emerson community, family and friends all gather to watch the students present their businesses to a panel of judges. This year, the spirit was still there, but the event was taken online featuring video startup pitches as a virtual exposition.
“The dedication of this cohort was truly amazing,” says Lu Ann Reeb, Assistant Dean of the School of Communication and Director of Entrepreneurial Studies and Business Studies at Emerson College. “These dedicated entrepreneurs had to quickly move from the class to their homes as we kept the program moving forward online. We collaborated twice a week from all corners of the globe. The result was impressive and each of these new entrepreneurs is a winner in my view,” she adds.
1st Place – $ 5,000.00
Christopher Rodriguez ‘21 –TipsyFizz – an alcoholic beverage company that specializes in bubbly-based cocktails ready-to-drink in a can.
2nd Place, $ 3,000.00
Jess Costas ‘21 – Senior Theater – a nonprofit that builds community across generations through theatrical programming in Senior communities.
3rd Place, $ 2,000.00
Jose Garcia ‘21 – Martin’s World – a children’s mobile APP, focused on fostering creativity, and developing values of kindness and empathy in kids through identity exploration.
Karl Baehr Memorial Scholarship, $ 1,500.00
Rana Saifi ‘21 – ENVY – a mobile app that uses augmented reality in order to make any menu, a visual menu to combat food envy.
Spirit Award, $ 500.00
Amanda Benavente ‘20 – Fuerte Sports – an athletic lifestyle brand building a community of women and girls in sports while curating the ultimate online shopping experience for them.
About the Emerson College Entrepreneurship Experience (E3)
The Emerson College Entrepreneurship Experience (E3) is a yearlong program. Students learn what it means to be an entrepreneur in an experiential journey from the classroom into the world of startups. Professor Lu Ann Reeb, an entrepreneur herself, leads Emerson College’s E3 program. The E3 Program was launched fifteen years ago at Emerson College; more than 200 ventures have been created and nearly 30% of those have been realized into businesses. For more information visit the website here.
