Student Entrepreneurs Shine in Inaugural Youth Rocket Pitch Preliminaries

Seven of Bermuda’s promising young entrepreneurs impressed the judges at the first ever Youth Pitch hosted on Thursday, November 9th, by the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation (BEDC).

Minister of Economic Development & Tourism, Jamahl Simmons opened the event acknowledging “Bermuda’s future entrepreneurs and thought leader as they pitch their ideas for solutions to local and worldly problems”.

“The young people in this room are proof that Bermudians have what it takes to to ensure that Bermuda remains a viable player on the world stage,” he said.

“All those who will be pitching their ideas tonight, whether they will be advancing to the Rocket Pitch Finals or not, are to be congratulated for their outstanding achievements.”

BEDC Business Development Officer Raymond Lambert introduced the presentations of “seven excellent business pitches” for ideas ranging from food service, t-shirts, canoe rentals to a youth empowerment organization from Logan Henschke (The Berkeley Institue), Jaaziah Richardon-Webb (CedarBridge Academy), Rickai Lightbourne Jr (Bermuda Institue), Tessa Dill (Bermuda High School), Chaella Bradshaw-Douglas (CedarBridge Academy), and Adriana Burchall, Ashley Pacheco, Tamia Place (CedarBridge Academy).

The top two were chosen by the judges, J’Von Furbert, BEDC Board Member, Ray Jones, BEDC Finance Director, and Ondreyah Rochester, BEDC Trainee Business Development Officer.

Both businesses chosen were food service ideas, one was Off the Chain by Tessa Dill, who proposed to open a one stop hot dog shop at Dockyard featuring a variety of reasonably priced lunches for locals and tourists on the go. The other aspiring young entrepreneur going through to the finals this Thursday, November 16th, was Chaella Bradshaw-Douglas whose idea, Good Chew is a healthy choice vending business she plans to provide in an around Bermuda’s schools.

This new category, Youth Pitch is being sponsored by GEW Host Committee member, the Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative of Bermuda (YEI).

Joe Mahoney, Executive Director of YEI stated: “Working with and coaching the students and being allowed to see these students develop their plans over the course of the past few weeks and was extremely fulfilling, yet to hear them deliver them here this evening with such passion was indeed impressive.”