Achieving Success at JA Company Program Trade Fair

The JA Company Program Trade Fair was a huge success, with the student startups winning rave reviews!

Presented by JA Board Company Gulf Island, and our Board Member Dr. Richard Heo, this event showcases JA Company Program startups working in an exciting, interactive marketplace. This event comes with the opportunity to share their creative companies while showcasing their hard work to the public in Memorial City Mall. This year, 20 startups emerged successfully, and 7 sold independently online and at school.

During this event, the students are judged on various categories. We appreciate the attendance of SCORE Mentors and Rice Board Fellows, Willy Verbrugghe, Mike Davis, and Emanuel Jimenez for serving as our judges and spending time with our startups as well as JA Company Program Alumni Ambassadors. Between classes and busy schedules, Ethan Tan (Texas A&M), Allen Vu (UH), Mauricio Morales (UH), Catherine Dominic (UT Austin), Safa Chowdhry (HCC), and Vivian Xiao (Rice University) remain dedicated. They selflessly assisted the judges and were terrific mentors to our teams throughout the event.

With many great moments, a highlight of the event was welcoming Dr. Heo to our awards ceremony. He presented trophies to the top teams for their stellar performances in Best Sales Pitch, Most Innovative Product, and Best in Show. Congrats to the winners: Dulicious Co. (Dulles High School), EVO (Elkins High School), and The Hive (Wunsche High School)!

As our most pioneering sales platform to champion youth entrepreneurship and workforce readiness, this year, the JA Company Program Trade Fair event was our most successful to date in attendance and transactions made. The participating startups were profitable, most of them selling out of inventory.

We are thankful to the many supporters who have made this event a grand success. Memorial City Mall and their awesome events and marketing team for the support they have extended to us over the years. Our generous Board Member, Dr. Richard Heo, and Gulf Island, for their continued dedication and passion for supporting youth entrepreneurship. Finally, LyondellBasell is our Premier Presenting Sponsor. Collectively, your commitment continues to provide the JA Company Program students with impactful experiences and the encouragement to take ownership of their entrepreneurial journeys.