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Pitch Perfect - Celebrating 2026 YE Winners

Pitch Perfect - Celebrating 2026 YE Winners
Group photo of the 2026 YE Final Pitch Competition Winners

The future of innovation was on full display at GISD's 2026 Youth Entrepreneurship (YE) Final Pitch Competition! This event brought together the top 10 student entrepreneurs from across Genesee County.

An audience of approximately 145 attendees heard students present their business ideas, followed by evaluation from a panel of six judges who selected the winners. The 2026 Final Pitch Competition Winners:

1st Place – $2,000
Sa’Maria Strong – SideQuest
International Academy of Flint

2nd Place – $1,500
Taleea Pitts – Medaspense
Genesee Career Institute / Genesee Early College

3rd Place – $1,000
Maya McDowell – EverThere
Goodrich

4th Place – $800
Cooper Sweers – Hooklab
Homeschool

5th Place – $500
Macie Probst – MirrorMatch
Clio

Runner-Up Awards – $150 each

  • Landon Pieper – Salt Track (Goodrich)
  • John Tewolde – Form Analyzer (Grand Blanc)
  • Naomi Rawls – Art Guild (Hamady)
  • Abigail VanWyck – The Singing Rattle (Linden)
  • Tyrese Watkins – Dojang Tech (Swartz Creek)

Congratulations to all of this year’s finalists and winners for their creativity, confidence, and entrepreneurial spirit! Special recognition goes to first place winner, Sa’Maria Strong, who impressed the judges with her SideQuest business, an app designed to connect students seeking income opportunities with short, paid tasks offered by employers. As part of her achievement, Sa’Maria will advance to a national competition in New York City this fall, fully sponsored by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship.

The Final Pitch Competition and the YE program continues to highlight the creativity, confidence, and real-world problem-solving skills of Genesee County students as they bring their entrepreneurial ideas to life. Learn more about the YE program by visiting the web page.