650 Students Compete for $20K in Macomb Entrepreneurship Program

More than 650 high school students across Macomb County, Michigan are learning to think like entrepreneurs, and the top teams could walk away with serious seed money to make their business dreams real.

SparkLab's eight-week entrepreneurship program kicked off October 5, bringing together students from eight school districts to develop complete business plans. Teams will create everything from branding packages to financial projections before pitching to panels of business leaders.

The program launched in fall 2023 with about 300 students at two Utica Community Schools. Now it's grown to include Anchor Bay, Chippewa Valley, L'Anse Creuse, Richmond, Romeo, Warren Consolidated, and Warren Woods districts.

Students get access to more than 40 video modules from industry experts covering marketing, finance, operations, and presentation skills. They work in teams to build a compelling business story from scratch.

At the kickoff event, Program Coordinator Janet Gendelman gave students clear advice: pitch your idea to anyone who will listen. "Your classmates, your counselors, your administrators, your parents, your coaches, anybody in the community who is willing to hear what you are working on," she told the packed auditorium at Henry Ford II High School.

Guest speaker Preston Brikho, a 19-year-old investing influencer and entrepreneur, shared what separates dreamers from doers. "You could be the smartest person in the world yet be poor and not successful," he told students. "There's a fine gap between knowledge and execution."

The Ripple Effect

The program's impact extends beyond individual students learning business skills. When young people develop entrepreneurial thinking, entire communities benefit from fresh ideas and homegrown innovation.

Winners can use their prize money to either launch their actual businesses or invest in future education. First place earns $20,000, second place takes home $12,000, and third place wins $8,000.

Eight weeks from now, these students won't just have classroom knowledge. They'll have real pitches, real feedback, and real opportunities to turn their ideas into something tangible.