Henderson to Host Shark Tank-Style Competition
More than a dozen teams comprised of high school students from across the country will take on a Shark Tank-style challenge May 25-27 in Henderson, Nev. at the 17th annual SAGE USA Tournament.
Teen entrepreneurs, representing regional champion teams from 13 high schools from across the nation, will meet at The Westin Lake Las Vegas to compete for prize money, trophies and the right to represent the USA in Durban, South Africa in a global competition in August.
The event is co-hosted by California State University, Chico SAGE team and the City of Henderson Economic Development and Tourism Department.
The two categories of competition are Best Socially-Responsible Business and Best Social Enterprise. SAGE—Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship—is modeled after interscholastic sporting events.
This is the second time the state of Nevada has hosted the nationwide pitch competition. Three Henderson high school students, who also participate in the city’s Young Entrepreneurs Alliance (YEA) program, will compete in this year’s contest. YEA was formed two years ago for the purpose of teaching high school teens about what it means to create, start and run a business using the SAGE curriculum.
SAGE was founded at Chico State in 2002 and is now operating in 22 countries, promoting an entrepreneurship program that emphasizes civic duty and responsibility among high school students The SAGE USA Tournament is an opportunity for the City of Henderson’s Economic Development Department to highlight Henderson to the nation’s future leaders as well as business leaders from across the country who will be guiding teams and judging the competition.
“These students devote a lot of time outside of school to develop their entrepreneurial skills,” said City of Henderson’s Economic Development and Tourism Director Barbra Coffee. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to see these young entrepreneurs expand their dreams into practical applications.”
The championship team will represent the United States globally at the SAGE World Cup, which will be held in August in Durban, South Africa.
In addition to the support of the City of Henderson’s Economic Development and Tourism Department, the 2018 SAGE USA National Competition is supported by the local business community, including Destination Henderson, NV Energy, Nevada State College, Bank of Nevada, Leadership Excursion Company, Parallel Innovation Labs, Slater Hanifan Group, Henderson Chamber of Commerce and Las Vegas Community Fund.