Eastern Michigan University (EMU) will bring high school- and college-aged entrepreneurs together on March 14 for the free 2025 Sesi Midwest Entrepreneurship Conference and Skandalaris Business Plan Competition. The half-day conference will take place at the EMU Student Center Ballroom, 900 Oakwood St. in Ypsilanti.

The day kicks off with breakfast and a keynote speech by AI entrepreneur Dilip Dubey, followed by a panel discussion. Justin Onwenu, who was recently named the City of Detroit's first ever director of entrepreneurship and economic opportunity, will give the lunchtime keynote.

Sanjib Chowdhury, director of EMU's Center for Entrepreneurship, says panelists and speakers will range from entrepreneurs who have recently launched their businesses to one who recently sold their startup.

Finally, three high school and three college student entrants will pitch their business plans. Chowdhury notes that this annual event is different from a simple pitch competition. Entrants don't just pitch an idea, but write a business plan that is submitted in advance, and they go through several rounds of judging. By the time of the conference, judges already know the winner, but competitors don't find out until after they make their four-minute presentations. The best pitch prize is determined on the day of the event.

First prize for both the high school and college categories is $1,000. The second-place prize is $750 and third-place prize is $500. The pitch prize is $250.

Chowdhury says the competition is open to many kinds of business ideas, not just high-tech ones. Past business plan ideas have covered industries ranging from medical technology to manufacturing to health care. And the competition is fierce, he says.

"It's really hard to pick only one over the others," Chowdhury says.

He says that, in addition to the cash prize, winners are encouraged to continue their entrepreneurship journey by pursuing EMU's Executive Certificate in Entrepreneurship. 

Parents, teachers, and community members are all invited to the free event, but registration is required here.

Sarah Rigg is a freelance writer and editor in Ypsilanti Township and the project manager of On the Ground Ypsilanti. She joined Concentrate as a news writer in early 2017 and is an occasional contributor to other Issue Media Group publications. You may reach her at sarahrigg1@gmail.com.

Photo courtesy of EMU.