Contra Costa Shark Tank Youth: 10 Finalists To Compete For Cash Prizes

LAMORINDA, CA— Ten students from Contra Costa County have been selected as finalists in the first-ever Contra Costa Shark Tank Youth Competition.

The contest was open to Contra Costa County students in kindergarten through 12th grade as a fun way to promote youth entrepreneurship.

Because, event organizers said, when young people succeed as entrepreneurs, not only do they improve their own lives but they also contribute to the economic development of their local communities.

"The best way to learn about entrepreneurship is by starting a business," said high school junior Maya Hammerman, the competition founder and one of the judges. "My journey as an entrepreneur started in elementary school. I created the competition to inspire kids in Contra Costa County to start or grow any type of business from traditional ones such as lemonade stands, to innovative new products or services that they create."

The 10 finalists listed below were selected by members of the Campolindo High School Entrepreneurship Club from over 300 applicants.

1. SportzCity, Hunter Smith (5th grade, Burton Valley Elementary, Lafayette)
2. Experimental Kids, Archit Kundu (5th grade, Bella Vista Elementary, San Ramon)
3. Lydia’s Soap, Lydia Stewart (7th grade, homeschool, Antioch)
4. Loonies, Valerie Castellanos, Angie Alvarenga and Giovanny Perez (7th grade, Summit Tamalpais, Richmond)
5. Tied Up in a Bow, Himna Imam & Mahum Malik (9th grade, Venture & Dougherty Valley, San Ramon)
6. ElderSafe, Ronen Jain (10th grade, Monte Vista High, Danville)
7. MiracleAlgae, Nicolas Angel-Ordonez & Shashank Koundinya (11th grade, San Ramon Valley, Danville)
8. Synchroma Studio, Hector Espinoza (12th grade, Freedom High, Oakley)
9. ScrubWoofer™, Beatrice Roberge (12th grade, Campolindo High, Moraga)
10. Workout Wizard, Fatimah Hussain (12th grade, Dougherty Valley High, San Ramon)

Sponsors for the competition include Chevron, Visa, PG&E, Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and Campolindo Parents Club.

Winners will be chosen by a panel of five judges during the Finalist Pitch Event to be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6 at the Lafayette Library, 3491 Mount Diablo Blvd.

Visit Contracostasharktank.org for ticket information.