Funding & Fueling Future Entrepreneurs 

Five Edmond High School students walked into a May meeting armed with innovative ideas and left with a total of $16,500 in seed funding to turn their concepts into a reality. 

The event was Francis Tuttle’s third annual Pitch Night, sponsored by Stride Bank. Participants in the technology center’s Entrepreneurship Program present their concepts to a panel of industry-leading judges in order to receive coaching and financial support. 

“This year we had more than 20 teen entrepreneurs competing for seed funding for their business,” said Francis Tuttle Entrepreneurship Instructor Abby Williams. “Pitching to a panel of professionals helps students build confidence. And many of these ideas will have a real, lasting impact on the community.” 

Each presentation was the product of a year of education, research, and revision. “The projects went through multiple stages before being presented on the final night,” Williams said. “It starts with students participating in a coaching session with 24 industry experts and consultants. Then they perfect a small ‘elevator pitch’, and dig into areas of improvement and feedback that push all of their ideas forward.” 

The top six pitches then move on to pitch night where they presented their ideas “Shark Tank-style” to a panel that included Mark Beffort of Robinson Park, Fawn Sachleben of Stride Bank, Srijita Ghosh of i2E, Janae Goodin of BAB and Matt McCalla of Bank of Oklahoma. 

“I was blown away by the ideas and the level of hard work that the students put in, and the polish that they had. It was abundantly clear how much work they’d put in and the level of education they were receiving,” said Lindsey Ogan, Chief Marketing Officer at Stride Bank. 

In addition to valuable funding, the winners benefit from mentorship from local entrepreneurship experts. At the end of the night, five Edmond seniors emerged as finalists. 

Fernanda Rojo Arteaga placed first, receiving $6,000 of funding for her concept, Bananabilingo. The app decreases language barriers in the healthcare industry by allowing medical professionals to communicate efficiently with Spanish-speaking communities. Fernanda was inspired by her own experience translating for her parents, who immigrated to the United States. 

“I had to learn very quickly to help my family translate documents in medical settings.” Fernanda said. “I want to help medical professionals figure out the medical terminology, how to speak it and listen for it so they can help others.” 

Emily Mabery and Jack Price placed second with Spinsafe, a device and app that alerts users when battery-operated devices are thrown in the washing machine. “Our technology and app ensure that all of your devices stay dry, so that you save money, avoid hassle, and have peace of mind whenever you do laundry,” the creators said. 

Third place went to Colby Howard and his concept, Operational Edge, which provides a sensor for woodworkers to track the overall health of their tools. “It tracks hours and provides maintenance intervals to catch issues when they’re preventable instead of a failure. This saves time and money and keeps equipment running well.” 

As practical as they are diverse, these ideas point to the Entrepreneurship Program’s mission to teach students skills that apply across any industry. “We focus on teaching them the entrepreneurial mindset, how to think like one and how to actually get an idea off the ground,” Williams said. “When you learn to think like an entrepreneur, it helps you in all areas of your life.” 

Learn more about the Francis Tuttle Entrepreneurship Program at francistuttle.edu.