Fika Matcha, the startup founded by Harker rising seniors Nicole Dean and Stellan Lindh, was recently named one of the five finalists for the INCubatoredu National Pitch Competition. The company specializes in using matcha – a type of finely ground green tea – as the basis for a healthier alternative to energy drinks. Dean and Lindh will travel to Chicago in July for the finals of the competition, where they will deliver a pitch in the hopes of securing up to $20,000 in funding. Fika matcha previously took third place at the Startup World Cup National Youth Qualifier in April, hosted by Harker.

Previous Harker student startups to see success in the National Pitch Competition were Shlurp Ramen, a $5,000 winner in 2024, 2023 semifinalist POTTR and 2022 competition winners TuffToy.