McPherson County YEC

Imagine the youthful energy and intensity of local high school students as they “pitch” their incredible business ideas during the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge (YEC). As a NetWork Kansas Entrepreneurship Community, the McPherson Chamber of Commerce organizes the YEC each year as an opportunity to encourage entrepreneurship and community engagement.

Like the entrepreneurial-themed reality show “Shark Tank,” the YEC inspires students to dream bigger! The competition consists of three parts, a detailed business plan called an executive summary, a tradeshow booth, and a 4-minute presentation. All three parts are evaluated and scored by a panel of judges.

Prizes are awarded for the top 3 places and the public will vote for peoples choice. The McPherson County YEC is open to all high school age students who live in McPherson County, attend a public or private school, or are homeschooled in McPherson County. 

Students will start setting up their tradeshow booths between 8:30-9:00. At 9:00 a.m. the judging will begin with the 4-minute presentations. From 9-11 the tradeshow is open to the public, and the public is encouraged to cast their vote for the People's Choice Award. Judging of the tradeshow will be done following the completion of the 4-minute presentations. We will provide a meal for the students, teachers and judges, have a speaker who highlights their entrepreneurial journey, and will then present the awards after the scores have been tallied.