RELEASE: The STARTedUP Foundation’s Innovate WithIN is the largest high school pitch competition in the country and has grown year-over-year - with 2024 being another record breaking year. There were nearly 3000 students who signed up to compete with a 28% increase in the number of teams who submitted a finalized pitch, including a one-minute sizzle reel and lean business model canvas.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Helping students view the world with an entrepreneur’s mindset. That’s the goal of a program hosted by the “STARTedUP Foundation.” News 8 Anchor Phil Sanchez goes UnPHILtered tonight with CEO Don Wettrick, and one of his former students, Kerry Ao, who went through the program.

Steve Franks on Innovation - Over the past few months, I’ve attended five venture pitch competitions and judged two of them. During all of that, I noticed something. Nearly all competitions produce a tiny number of winners, while the rest of the contestants leave as losers. Think about it. The ratio of winners to losers in a typical competition rewards only a few - as the vast majority of contestants slink off into the sunset.