Business Accelerator is the class you take after completing the Business Incubator course and making it through “pitch night”. This honor-level senior course is selective and gives student-run businesses the opportunity to step out of their comfort zones to lift their business off the ground. As graduation approaches, groups are deciding whether they want to continue with their business post-graduation, or come up with an exit strategy to smoothly transition out of their business.

SimplyNav:

Seniors Tessa Poulton, Josh Deuringer, Molly Kelly, and Brennan Riley created SimplyNav, which is an easy to use multi-use navigation app that provides students with step-by-step directions, as well as resources to help them better navigate the high school experience.

“Over the summer we went to the National Pitch Competition in Chicago and received feedback from investors and judges …being there with other teams was good because they definitely challenged us and gave us the motivation we needed to start the Business Accelerator course strong,” said senior Brennan Riley.

During the school year the team received help from the Life Working Coworking team. They opened up many great opportunities for the team like connecting them with angel investors and pitch opportunities. Right now, they are creating strategies to collect app users and potentially close a deal with LFHS.

Ez Plugs:

Seniors Pride Haggerty, Connell Sassen, Sarina Vora, and Sean Kupperman created Ez Plugs which is a modular power strip that can be completely customized by adding or moving outlets around to your liking. Unlike a traditional power strip, you can customize it to fit your space and your needs.

“Last April if we saw ourselves now we would definitely be super proud of ourselves. We have accomplished a lot of things that we are happy about and we have all worked so hard. Going into pitch night it was kind of a surprise that we even got chosen as one of the top teams, so seeing how far we’ve come today we definitely would be proud,” said senior Connell Sassen

The Ez Plugs started the year off by creating a second prototype which was an advancement from the prototype they developed for pitch night. The team acquired a stand at the Lake County Home Show and made connections with manufacturers and marketers that gave them feedback to help them strengthen their brand. The team also went to UL, a global safety science company, to get feedback and see what it would take to get their product UL certified.

Tasty Recovery:

Seniors Maeve Bradley, Jack Griffin, Cole Graham, and Kareem Alsikafi created Tasty Recovery, which is an all-natural recovery powder that prioritizes not only an efficient but healthy recovery. With only four ingredients (beet, lemon, watermelon, and vita cherry), Tasty Recovery is entirely organic and has no synthetics, additives, or preservatives that many popular brands like Gatorade, Athletic Greens, and Liquid IV carry. The product sells in bundles of 5 or 30 packets and has a shelf life of 30 years as it is made from drum-dried fruit. 

“Since pitch night we have been able to complete all verification steps and start selling our product,” said senior Jack Griffin.

They have been setting up booths at local gyms, yoga studios, and other fitness centers. They hand out free samples to people walking by and even make on the spot sales. 

Crypto Crew:

Seniors Sophie Delhey, Van Dugan, Caroline Lee, Vincent Notelli, and Harry Moore created Crypto Crew which provides a unique learning experience that combines personal support with easy to understand resources that work to emphasize the importance of bitcoin in today’s ever changing economic state.

“Last April if we saw where we were now I think we would be proud of ourselves. It’s not easy to create a business and even though we haven’t had the smoothest journey, we’re all happy with where we are and what we’ve accomplished,” said senior Sophie Delhey.

The Crypto Crew has been working to come up with strong curriculum for their learners. They’ve also been working with their mentor to strengthen their marketing. The team hung up hard to miss flyers all around the halls and cafeteria to promote this decentra school.

Mr. Pulio has watched all the groups grow in the last two school years and is extremely impressed.

“The four groups in the Business Accelerator this year have made more progress than any of the other groups in the past nine years,” business teacher Mr. Pulio said.