Enderun Colleges Holds Second Year of Elevator Pitch Competition

De La Salle Santiago Zobel received PhP50,000, medals, and a plaque for winning the Next Bright Idea Elevator Pitch Challenge Year 2. In photo: Students with Tricia Tensuan, Enderun Colleges Vice President for Admissions and External Relations; Brian Cu, Co-founder of Zalora and GrabTaxi; and Larry Gamboa, author of Think Rich, Pinoy!.

Enderun Colleges awarded the two highest prizes to De La Salle Santiago Zobel during the finals of the Next Bright Idea High School Elevator Pitch Challenge held last January 18, 2014.

Out of 15 finalists, two teams from De La Salle Santiago Zobel took home the grand prize and second place. The grand prize entry was “Modifii,” an environment-friendly bag made of paper with the durability and qualities like that of plastic. Second place went to “Leaf Jeep,” a jeepney that runs on water that serves as an alternative to fuel. Third place went to Elizabeth Seton School for their project, “Fridgebell,” an app that monitors the food in your refrigerator and informs you of its expiry date. Two special awards were also given out: The Social Responsibility Award went to Seed Montessori for their project catered to people with no access to clean water and those affected by calamities. “Pillter” is an Iodine pill that functions as a water-purifying agent; the Technology Award was awarded to Don Bosco Technical College for their project, “Electrichip,” a chip embedded in clothes that harnesses kinetic energy used to charge mobile devices.

“The competition was very educational and fulfilling. We had a business idea that we wanted to make into a reality and this competition is a stepping stone towards that goal,” said Anthony Aguillo from the winning team Modifii.

Eight schools competed in the finals namely: Seed Montessori, Grace Christian College, Elizabeth Seton School, Montessori de Manila, De La Salle Santiago Zobel, St. Paul Pasig, British School Manila, and Don Bosco Technical College. Their pitches were judged by Patricia Valerio, special features editor of BusinessWorld; Larry Gamboa, author of Think Rich, Pinoy!, and Brian Cu, co-founder of Zalora and GrabTaxi Philippines.

The Next Bright Idea Elevator Pitch Challenge Year 2 Judges. From left: Larry Gamboa, author of Think Rich, Pinoy! and founder of Think Rich Pinoy Real Estate Investors Club; Patricia Valerio, special features editor of BusinessWorld and Brian Cu, co-founder of Zalora and GrabTaxi.

“I love the fact that at a very young age, these high school students already know how to think like entrepreneurs. Now, the challenge for them is getting these ideas in the market and letting their voices be heard,” judge Larry Gamboa said.

Now on its second year, the Next Bright Idea is a competition started by Enderun Colleges to instill the entrepreneurial spirit among the youth. Prior to the finals, teams from various high schools attended an entrepreneurship master class in order to help them conceptualize their business idea and deliver a pitch. The teams then submitted a 1000-word summary of their business concept. From there, the top 15 entries were selected to present a three-minute pitch to a panel of judges, who assessed their business ideas based on innovation, feasibility and financial attractiveness.

From left: Teammates Anthony Aguillo, Melisa Policarpio and Kyle Marquez from De La Salle Santiago Zobel pitch their business idea, “Modifii,” an environment-friendly bag made of paper but with the durability of plastic.

For more details and other announcements on the competition, visit The Next Bright Idea website -brightidea.enderuncolleges.com or call 8565000.