TAMPA, Fla. — Some of Tampa Bay's youngest and brightest entrepreneurs had the opportunity to showcase their business ideas to the entire community this week. It’s all part of Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay’s 3rd Annual 3DE Innovators Showcase.
More than 30 business ideas, created by more than 120 students from six different high schools, were on display, ranging from high heels to fishing lures to skin care.
“The students are asked to find their passion, create a product or service that creates a need in our community, so something that doesn’t exist, or how do you take an existing product or service and enhance it,” said 3DE Executive Director Christina Roberts.
Roberts says this event is a great opportunity for the students to engage with business professionals about the product or service they have been developing for the past school year.
“And it’s amazing because we are able to invite our educators, our district leaders, the business community, and community organizations that have partnered with us,” said Roberts.
Students from Chamberlain High School came up with the idea of combining a timer with a stuffed animal. They call it Focus Friend.
“We know that using a regular timer by itself can be very stressful, so we thought about using stuffed animals to alleviate that stress and pressure,” said student Ardyn Fernandez.
A few tables down, you’ll find the students from St. Pete High School promoting their service, Life on Water. It’s an Airbnb for boats.
“Boats are pretty expensive, and we don’t use them every single day, so when we rent out the boats, we get money for that, and it would help pay off the boats,” said student August Allen.
Then there’s the girls wearing pink from Dunedin High School, hoping to standout in the podcast space.
“We’re Friendly Fire, we are a podcast all about giving advice about the journey of being a teenager,” said student Riley Pilgrim.
One business idea from each school was pitched to a group of executives from Junior Achievement’s biggest partner, Raymond James.
“The merchandise that is in our school is not very trendy, not very fashionable, and it doesn’t have the designs that everyone wants to see,” said Alexis Mallo of Hillsborough High School.
So, the students from Hillsborough High pitched their own clothing line called Terriers.
“The more people that see it, the more supporters that we get, and every student that I have shown loves it,” said Mallo.
Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay says there is even a history of some of these ideas going on to become real businesses.
“Like my mom said, in Inside Out 2, it's like a core memory.”
ABC Action News spoke with the 11-year-old who went viral when she met her hero Paige Bueckers ahead of the NCAA Women's Final Four in Tampa.
