Coronavirus Pandemic Affects SQUARE1 Semifinals and Finals Events
Next High School Pitch contest going online and is now...PITCH MADNESS!
Yet another nonprofit, SQUARE1, has been impacted by the Coronavirus. SQUARE1 had its semi-final event slated to occur on March 12 at Gateway Community & Technical College which was canceled based on Kentucky Governor Beshear’s recommendation regarding large events. The Final Next Pitch Event was scheduled for April 3rd is being postponed.
This pandemic is affecting many non-profits, startups, and small businesses nationwide. The lessons SQUARE1 teaches will allow their students to be resilient through these types of challenges and also to have the mindset to produce solutions.
“To teach an entrepreneurial mindset is to teach resilience and adaptability,” explains SQUARE1’s President Keith Schneider. “We need to be innovative in creating a solution to complete the experience for the hundreds of kids in the program by providing this amazing opportunity.”
In true entrepreneurial fashion, SQUARE1 will be taking the semi-final team selection process online. The organization is still dedicated to hosting the final event and fulfill the experience for these students and the many sponsors like St. Elizabeth Healthcare and Orchestrate Technologies who are excited for and believe in the impact this program has on our Next generation. This is why your support of this program and this event are still needed now during this tough time.
The company’s mission is to uncover, educate, support, and inspire emerging entrepreneurs. This mission is achieved through their Next program by working with high school students to teach them how innovation and an entrepreneurial mindset can change their life’s trajectory. These students work during the school year to develop a project and then present their innovations in a series of pitch events.
The Final Competition event is not only your opportunity to witness the region’s top high school innovators pitch their ideas, Shark-Tank style, but it is also the organization’s largest fundraiser of the year, allowing the organization to provide support to students not only in developing their ideas but continuing to nurture the key skills emphasized throughout the program. The event provides the students the opportunity to network and identify potential work opportunities, as many students are either unemployed or underemployed. The goal is to take these learnings to the Next level by placing these kids in internships and other career experiences including the launch of some of their ideas.
The Next program delivers an entrepreneur’s skill set to high school students that will benefit them no matter the career path they choose. Next runs entrepreneurial educational programs throughout Greater Cincinnati. Our goal is to reach into regional high schools offering curriculum to support idea generation, startup creation, and key career skill development culminating in the competitions to highlight these new skills for the community. Square1 is grateful for the support of community foundations such as the Charles H. Dater Foundation, The Sutphin Family Foundation, and the R.C. Durr Foundation.
For more information and our latest news, including information on the rescheduling of the Next Final Event, visit www.ideastartgrow.com.
