Entrepreneurial Students Shine at Local Competitions

Students involved in Saint Andrew’s entrepreneurial program recently showed off their impressive business skills at two local competitions. On Wednesday, April 10, the winners of Saint Andrew’s annual pitch competition presented at the NFTE Innovate South Florida, a regional event that took place in Miami. 

Their business concept, American Recycle, is a profit-driven social enterprise that considers both environmental and social impact. As many on this team have close family connections to veterans, they shared their vision for ways to upcycle and repurpose old military uniforms and badges into bags, customized teddy bears, jackets, baby gear, and bracelets to launch their business. They considered ways they might connect with volunteers with SA for USA, a club that connects with veterans, and how they might eventually employ veterans on their team and donate a percentage of their profits to aligned charities and military scholarships. 

The American Recycle team was runners-up overall in the competition, beating out top schools in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami Dade Counties, and placed above Pinecrest, Gulliver, Ransom Everglades, the Carrollton School, among others. 

American Recycle was led by: 

• Alexia Sotomayor Acuna ’25

• Marin Cvelbar ’24

• Alex Duros ’24

• Margaux Muhletaler ’25

• Finnley Pratt ’25

Students in Honors Entrepreneurship competed at the finale for their student-led business, Sparkl, on Tuesday, April 9. Sparkl is an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner with both a B2B and B2C model. The Sparkl team recently closed their first bulk order with Ellie's Jewelry in Boca Raton and they hope to finalize some remaining deals in the next few weeks. The team was runners up in the trade booth pitch event and their combined work and scores on their annual report, pitch competition, trade booth, and company commercial were chosen to move on in the process for being selected as one of the top student-led companies of the year representing South Florida and may move onto the Junior Achievement Nationals competition held in Washington, DC. 

The leadership team of this student-led business includes:

• Daniel Beecroft ’24

• Matthew Egbert ’24

• Steven Friedman ’2

• Mason Hudson ’24

• John Kampe ’24

• Peter Metcalf ’24

• Elijah Nelson ’24

• Jennie Pan ’24

• Jackson Parke ’24

• Murilo Parras ’24

• Dylan Perlin ’24

• Trey Rieland ’24

• Elle Rubino ’24

• Arthur Wolff ’24

Saint Andrew’s congratulates our entrepreneurial students on their accomplishments at these two events.