Virtual Enterprise companies Alpineoptix, Nopelle, and Benefizz participated in state-level competitions in Bakersfield, on February 3rd with two teams advancing to Nationals in New York in April.
Students competed in categories such as Business plan, Marketing Plan and Cooperate Social Responsibility Plan competitions in the hopes of qualifying to present in New York in the Virtual Enterprise Bakersfield trade show.
All three companies participated in the business plan competition which is a ten minute presentation about a company’s marketing, social responsibility, and finances with a question round where judges ask questions about the presentation and company.
Companies are ranked based on a four page written plan before the presentation. The actual presentation and questions, posed by the judges, really differentiate one company from the rest.
“Questions are only 10% of the presentation score. But I think it’s the most important part, it’s the tie breaker,” said Ella Verde
The companies that place top eleven in the business plan competition qualify for the final competition in New York. The students in Benefizz, Ella Verde, Ariana Price, Gwen Krater, Kacper Szwichtenberg, Hailey Palmer and Dilan Patel placed 6th and qualified for New York.
Another competition was marketing plan, a shorter 5 minute presentation with a question round based primarily on marketing. The students in Benefizz Chanel Bradford, Adriana King, Grant Blaser, and Brady Sinskie placed 7th, qualifying them for New York as well.
Nopelle placed 9th, putting them in the “wild card round” where they will do an extra online presentation on February 23rd via Zoom for the opportunity to qualify for New York.
“There’s gonna be one wild card from all the states that participate. Nopelle will get an opportunity to win that section and go to New York,” said Jeremey Wooten
A notable non-presentation award was for the “Themed Banner Ad Competition,” where Dilan Patel, Paige Gunter, and Carlo Russell received 3rd place with their Valentines themed banner ad.
