Youth Entreprenueship Challenge

Stafford County Economic Development, in association with the Network Kansas E-Community Partnership, will be hosting Stafford County YEC  on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, at the Stafford County Annex, as part of the 2023-2024 Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC) series. The goal is to expose Kansas middle school and high school students to entrepreneurship.  This local competition is made possible by the generous support of the South Central Community Foundation and Network Kansas.

Who’s Eligible to Compete
This competition is open to any Stafford County resident in Grades 7th-12th. Teams can consist of 1 to 4 students.

Key Dates

January 19, 2024 – Last Date to Sign Up
February 2, 2024 – Executive Summary Due
February 7, 2024 – Stafford County YEC Competition (mid-morning to early afternoon, the start time will be 11 a.m.)
March 19, 2024 – Wild Card Submission for State Due
March 22, 2024 – Executive Summaries for State Competition Due
April 16, 2024 – State Competition in Manhattan

Competition Components
Teams are required to submit a written executive summary and do an in-person formal presentation. Teams are encouraged to make a tradeshow display, this is optional and not part of scoring at the local competition.

The Executive Summary is a written business summary, in PDF format, including details of how the business intends to operate. An executive summary is similar to a business plan, but usually shorter, covering much of the same information in summarization.

The Formal Presentation is a four-to-six-minute presentation where each business will share details of its product or service with a panel of judges, usually in the form of visual slides.

The Tradeshow Display is optional at Stafford County YEC but a key component at the State Competition. At this local competition, businesses will have the opportunity to pitch their product or service through a tradeshow booth as a visual and informational aid. Tradeshow Displays will be set up and available for viewing by attendees on competition day.

Resources for Product Development and Marketing

Thanks to the South Central Community Foundation, registered teams are able to request funds to help with product development and marketing. Each team may request up to $75. Teams must provide detailed information on how they plan to use the funds or explain expenses they would like to request reimbursement for (example: $18 for business cards, $30 for wood to make prototypes, etc). Registered teams wanting to request funds must fill out this form.

The deadline to apply for funding will be February 1st, 2024, with funds being distributed on February 6th, 2024.

Prizes
The students will be competing against each other for a combined total of $1,500 in prize money at Stafford County YEC (with the potential to earn more at the State Competition). The teams will be judged by 2 local businesspersons and  a Network Kansas representative.

First Place $750
Second Place $500
Third Place $250

How to Register
To sign-up go to the Stafford County YEC Event Portal and click on the “Join this competition” Button. You will have to create a Venture Dash account (you will need this to access competition information and submit required documents). Then select “Entrepreneur” and finish completing the form.
The deadline to sign-up is January 19, 2024

Venture Dash is also used for the Wild Card Competition and the State Competition.