LZHS’ annual student entrepreneurial presentations were hosted on the night of May 9th, 2023, in the Performing Arts Center. The presentations consisted of four groups of students from the business elective “Incubator.” These aspiring student business leaders pitched their ideas to a panel of esteemed judges in order to receive grants towards their final products which have been in the works since the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year.

This year’s presentations were as follows:

Fish-and-Go

This product is an attachment mechanism that would allow fishermen to safely and easily transport their tackle box and fishing poles on a bicycle. In their presentation, the group, Daniel Koelper, sophomore, Ilija Lukic, senior, Jacob Zdanowicz, sophomore, and Tristan Kuna, sophomore, says their product could be useful for local fishermen who find themselves in need of a new, innovative way to travel with their fishing equipment, given they are not interested in traveling by car or on foot. The group also claims there are no other products that are as capable as their own, and that those that attempt are overpriced and are not as useful of a solution.

As for their grant request, they asked for $8,000 from the judges in order to refine, manufacture, and advertise their product on popular social media sites, such as the TikTok app. They also plan to test on a variety of bike types, such as electric and motorized ones, as well as different brands or traditional bicycles (though they have not seen a bike which their product would be incompatible with). 

With or without their grant, the group says they plan to move forward with their idea to solve this issue which they’ve been personally affected by, and, if or when the time comes, they would like to sell their product locally and online. 

Rock the Lock

The group, Manjot Singh, sophomore, Kartsten Zettlmeier, sophomore, Camden Pratt, sophomore, and Oskar Ponikarczyk, junior, claims that the combination locks are not secure, time consuming, and inconvenient for students and various other people who use combination locks. They suggest a more modern lock system, and say they will install ID trackers on existing lockers in order to make it so that with just a quick tap, the locker would open. They say this would use a lithium battery, and they plan to keep the key lock from administration in the locker in order to unlock the locker given they die. The group then demonstrates if a student ID was stolen, they could use the app the group will create, to open their locker. The group would sell in bulk to schools and other public businesses in need of locks, as well as individually, as well as their mobile app product. The judges voice concerns about security measures if an ID was stolen, but they say they are working on new technology to change the coding.

1-Lift

1-Lift proposes a fully collapsible product to transport groceries from the store, to the car, to their homes or apartments, in only one lift. The product itself would take the form of a shopping cart, with easy to grip handles, compartments for heating and cooling, as well as wheels which would allow the cart to go up and down flights of stairs with ease, just like a regular stair dolly would have.

The group, Preetika Perumalla, sophomore, Priya Ravella, sophomore, Eric Main, sophomore, and Matthew Moskvitintarget, sophomore, have a very broad audience, ranging from parents of young children who may have trouble wrangling their kids while transporting groceries, as well as the elderly and those with chronic illness that may experience physical strain from lugging groceries around after shopping trips. They also suggest another possible customer in the form university students living in dorm rooms and packed apartments, who need an easier way to carry their groceries. 

The group also did some surveying prior to the presentation, in which they say they have received positive feedback from those in grocery stores and online, some of which say it could help them or their elderly/disabled parents. The group says they plan to continue marketing on social media popular among both older and younger audiences, such as Facebook and Tiktok, and sell them online as well. Additionally, they have been brainstorming on more developed, motorized versions of their product for even further convenience. 

Finally, the group presents their full prediction of profits and reveals their ask of $10,000. 

E-Map

The goal of E-Map, according to the group, Parker Kaplan, sophomore, Grayson Bell, senior, and Matthew Sandler, senior, is to connect car enthusiasts through social media style videos and posts, and primarily, a map pinpointing the locations of car shows and conventions in the user’s area. As car enthusiasts themselves, they say the lack of designated space for them and their interests makes it difficult to connect with each other, and they believe their product would solve this issue. They also point out that while other apps may offer similar features, theirs would be the all in one solution, to enjoy their interests online and in person, depending on the user’s personal preference. 

Having already gotten a head start on social media marketing, the group claims they have already received positive responses from their audiences on TikTok and Instagram, and they plan to market to older audiences as well; this is part of their goal to make their product all inclusive to all demographics. 

In the end, 1-Lift and E-Map’s were both given $1,000 to continue working on their products, while Fish and Go was offered up to $4,000 to continue work. Last, but certainly not least, Rock the Lock was awarded $8,000 to continue their work.