Young Innovators Shine at First-Ever JA Be Entrepreneurial Pitch Competition

Author: Cord Bailey
Corporate Responsibility
Published: Tuesday, 25 Nov 2025

Sharing

Image caption: Peyton W. Pitch Participant

The inaugural JA Be Entrepreneurial Pitch Competition at UNC Charlotte’s Co-Lab showcased the creativity, determination, and emerging talent of Charlotte’s young innovators. In the weeks leading up to the event, students practiced design thinking, pinpointing real-world problems, brainstorming solutions, prototyping concepts, and shaping their final pitches. With support from university mentors, community volunteers, and Junior Achievement board members, they strengthened both their business ideas and the confidence needed to present them.

Image caption: Students preparing for the pitch competition

The preparation journey was transformative. Students refined their concepts step by step, learning how to communicate with clarity, adjust based on feedback, and turning early ideas into viable solutions. This hands-on coaching helped them build critical thinking, public speaking, and problem-solving skills, tools they’ll carry far beyond this competition.

Image caption: JA BE Entrepreneurial Pitch Competition Winners

We were proud to recognize the top presenters:

1st Place: Amare Willis, 7th grader from Union Preparatory Academy
2nd Place: Branden Chase, 7th grader from CC Griffin Middle School
3rd Place: Kerrington Roberts, 8th grader from Piedmont IB Middle School

Image caption: Check Presentation by TIAA's Chris Lynch & JA President & CEO Melissa Kilby

A special thank-you goes to UNC Charlotte’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation for hosting the event, and to our sponsor TIAA for making this opportunity possible. Watching students turn their ideas into confident, polished pitches was inspiring, a clear reminder that Charlotte’s next generation of entrepreneurs is already stepping forward.

Image caption: JA BE Entrepreneurial Participants

Here’s to the future founders in the making, we can’t wait to see where their ideas take them next!

Khyl Schenck & Matthew Martin
7th graders from Piedmont Middle school

Solomon Willis
5th grader from Union Preparatory Academy

Amare Willis
7th grader from Union Preparatory Academy

Lizzy Harper
5th grader from Crown Point Elementary

Joel King
7th grader from Piedmont IB Middle School

Ava & Zuri Geathers
5th and 6th graders from Irwin Academic Center and Piedmont Open Middle

Branden Chase
7th grader from CC Griffin Middle School

Kerrington Roberts
8th grader from Piedmont IB Middle School

Ethan & Vernon Corquaue
7th and 8th graders from Covenant Day School

Peyton Wray
8th grader from Piedmont IB Middle School