Entrepreneurs At Caldwell Prep School Ace Business Challenge

CALDWELL, NJ — Mount St. Dominic Academy, a Catholic, independent college prep school for girls in Caldwell, recently announced that Toyota North America and The Leonidas Foundation have awarded $7,500 in collegiate scholarships, to “College: Unlocked,” a team of four Mount seniors, and winners of the school’s inaugural LEO “LionWorks” entrepreneurship competition.

According to a school news release, The LionWorks competition represents a highlight of the two-year intensive course, which encompasses the full life cycle of creating a business or product from ideation to launch, with the focus on leadership, entrepreneurship and opportunities.

A group of 17 seniors in the program’s first cohort competed in a team-style competition in the spirit of “Shark Tank” last month, presenting their startup projects, which were developed over the course of the previous three and a half semesters, to a panel of “sharks.”

The products included:

• D1 Heat: a company that strives to meet everyone’s hand warming needs, with slim, flexible stick on heaters to provide comfort in cold times.
• College: Unlocked: an app to help students with the college admissions process, aiding high school seniors in picking a college that best suits them.
• Bigger Buck$: a budgeting app designed to help high school and college students learn how to manage their money and invest in stocks.
• Charcuterie Chix: a female-owned and operated company creating and delivering gorgeous and affordable charcuterie boards. “Don't cut the cheese, let the chix do it!”

At the conclusion of the competition, which featured 10-minute presentations by each of the four teams, followed by 10 minutes of judges’ Q&A for each team, the sharks selected “College: Unlocked” as the winner. The four members of the team will share the first-place prize of $5,000 in scholarships sponsored by Toyota North America.

Inspired by the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit of these 17 Mount students, an anonymous Mount alumna along with The Leonidas Foundation, sponsored a second prize award of $2,500 in collegiate scholarships, which was awarded to team “D1 Heat.”

The winners hail from Short Hills, Wayne, West Caldwell and East Hanover, with other students representing Bloomfield, West Orange, Essex Fells, Belleville, Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Verona, Orange, Rutherford and Fairfield.

“Watching the young women of the Mount compete in their first ever LEO LionWorks entrepreneurial competition was thrilling for everyone involved,” said Matthew Perricone, president of the Leonidas Foundation.

“We are so proud of the work they’ve done, and can’t wait to keep an eye on these young entrepreneurs as they apply their leadership and entrepreneurial spirit to their endeavors in college and beyond,” Perricone said.

“These 17 young women have embraced the opportunities provided by the LEO Program, and the time, effort and passion they’ve devoted to their work, and to each other, has been incredibly rewarding,” agreed Christine Victori, moderator of the program.

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