The upper school campus hosted the Startup World Cup’s Harker National Youth Qualifier on Fri., April 17, bringing together top high school entrepreneurs from across the United States to compete in the world’s largest startup pitch competition. The event drew hundreds of Silicon Valley’s top business and technology professionals, including venture capitalists, startup founders, and technology leaders, alongside dozens of student entrepreneurs. Powered by Pegasus Tech Ventures, it remains the only youth-exclusive regional qualifier among more than 100 Startup World Cup events held worldwide.
Seven of the nation’s most ambitious student-founded companies took the stage before a distinguished panel of venture capitalists. After a rigorous judging process, SchoolAce, an AI-powered personalized learning platform for students, claimed first place and the $2,000 top prize. Zavion, an advanced AI-powered platform for user behavior pattern analysis and insights, earned second place. Fika Matcha, founded by Harker juniors Nicole Dean and Stellan Lindh, took third place for its offering of clean, sustained energy from premium matcha as a healthier alternative to energy drinks. All three teams have secured a direct berth to the Startup World Cup Grand Finale in San Francisco, where winning startups from around the world will compete for a $1,000,000 investment prize. Awards were presented by Anis Uzzaman, founder and CEO of Pegasus Tech Ventures and chairman of Startup World Cup; Brian Yager, Harker’s head of school and Joe Rosenthal, Harker’s executive director of strategic initiatives.
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The evening also featured a series of one-minute pitch sessions from ten runner-up companies. Cloth N Claw, a sustainable dog toy company founded by Harker juniors Ian Cheline and Mason Brooks that repurposes denim fabric, won the runner-up showcase. Harker was also represented in the main competition by Fore!Cast, an AI-powered platform founded by sophomore Isaac Liu that instantly books tee times for golf enthusiasts.
Student teams were evaluated by a panel of prominent Silicon Valley investors: John Kwon, managing director at Samsung Ventures; Ajay Kamat, partner at Pear VC; and Rajesh Swaminathan, partner at Khosla Ventures.
The program featured a fireside chat with Brandon Yang, co-founder of Cartesia, as well as remarks from Bill Reichert, a partner at Pegasus Tech Ventures, and Vijay Reddy, investor at Mayfield Fund.
