H-ton VE Firms Reach National Business Plan Finals

Two Huntington High School Virtual Enterprise firms have advanced to the National VE Business Plan Competition in Manhattan in April. The Hive and Spike companies will vie against the “best of the best” in the high stakes contest.

The competition on Long Island began with 133 firms representing 84 schools. Forty percent of those team qualified for the semifinals, which were held via Zoom last week. “Only nine of those teams made it to nationals and Hive and Spike were among the winners,” said teacher Paige Tyree Furman, who leads Huntington’s Virtual Enterprise program.

The two Huntington High School firms will now compete in the national finals against the top 40 teams in the world at the Virtual Enterprise Youth Business Summit on April 11-12 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center on 11th Avenue in New York City.

“When we first heard we had to do round two of the presentations online, our team immediately thought we were done” Hive CEO Devon St. John said. “It was definitely a challenge to present through a screen, but we all worked so hard in making it as engaging as possible and we are so happy it paid off! A big congrats to Huntington’s Spike firm on making it to the nationals as well!”

“Both teams actually had to strategically pivot at the 11th hour,” Mrs. Furman said. “Unfortunately, each had a member that fell sick the day of the event and two students had to fill in at the last minute. For Spike, that student was Anthony Addeo, who rose to the occasion like only Anthony can. He gave his pitch with such professionalism, poise and enthusiasm. You would have thought he worked on his script for months, not just three hours ahead of the competition. For Hive, that student was Julianne Tudisco, who, without hesitation, filled in as the interim CTO and nailed it. She was flawless. Watching both firms handle a difficult situation with such flexibility, determination and grace was one of the highlights of my career. Their effort to find a solution was so impressive and clearly their hard work paid off. I could not be any prouder!”

The Youth Business Summit brings together thousands of rising young professionals, budding entrepreneurs, educators, school/district administrators, business leaders and industry professionals from around the world for a one-of-a-kind global convention.

“I feel incredibly humbled and proud to be moving onto the national competition in April,” Spike CEO Nina Fascilla said. “VE has been my biggest learning experience in any class during high school. We have worked so hard and have dedicated countless hours in and out of class. We are all very passionate about our product and our business plan, so I can’t wait to see how far we can go. I am so grateful for Mrs. Furman’s guidance throughout the entire process.”

The Youth Business Summit promises to be an engaging event. During a dynamic week of business competitions, leadership events and professional networking, rising talent from middle and high schools around the world display the professional skills and business acumen they have developed by running a Virtual Enterprise company during the school year.