Rocket Tutors, a team from West High School that is building a business to provide free one-on-one online math tutoring, won first place and the $10,000 Sue Gibson Grand Prize at the 2024 High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge (HSUEC) final event on March 2.
Twenty teams made it to the final event in this business-idea competition open to all high school students in the state of Utah. They competed for $30,000 in cash and scholarships. The competition is hosted by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, an interdisciplinary division of the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah, and sponsored by Zions Bank.
Rocket Tutors team member Syna Aggarwal said she started the business with her brother, Arya, after a personal experience with needing a tutor.
“Last year, I started really struggling in my math class, and my parents got me online tutoring and it really started helping me,” said Aggarwal, a junior at West High School. “So, me and my brother came up with the idea that there are a lot of students out there struggling except they don’t have the resources to pay for it.”
Rocket Tutors will provide tutoring free through donations from companies and individuals. The donors receive a tax benefit and opportunity to make an impact on people’s lives, while the Rocket Tutors will collect a small transaction cost to cover business expenses.
“I think our idea is important because there are just so many students out there struggling with math and so many students out there that can’t afford tutoring, so I think it could have a really big impact,” Aggarwal said.
Every team in the High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge identified a problem and proposed a creative solution. See the list below for details and a description of the top 20 teams.
“We had many great teams competing this year, and it was very hard for our judges to choose the winners from the top 20 teams,” said Logan Bogesvang, the student director of the High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge. “We invite all high school students in Utah to learn more about the competition and participate next year. The application will open in the fall. All you need is a business idea to participate.”
Other top winners this year included: Munk Skateboarding, of American Fork High, which placed second ($5,000); and Sailrugs, of Herriman High, which placed third ($2,500).
Among other prizes, The Pee Ball, of Weber High School, was awarded a $2,000 College of Science scholarship. In addition, the High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge awarded a Community Impact Award to the Davis School District Catalyst Center for their work to inspire young entrepreneurs.
All top 20 teams in the competition were offered a spot in the Lassonde Founders program, which includes a $1,000 housing scholarship for students to live and launch together at Lassonde Studios.
The High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge is the youth version of the collegiate Utah Entrepreneur Challenge, which offers $100,000 in cash and prizes this year.
Learn more about the High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge at lassonde.utah.edu/hsuec.
Second place winner Munk Skateboarding from American Fork High School.
Third place winner Sailrugs from Herriman High.
Top 20 teams in the 2024 High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge.
HSUEC Winners 2024
- Sue Gibson Grand Prize, $10,000 (award sponsored by Zions Bank): Rocket Tutors (West High)
- Second Place, $5,000 (Zions Bank): Munk Skateboarding (American Fork High)
- Third Place, $2,500 (Zions Bank): Sailrugs (Herriman High)
- Top Online Vote Award, $500 (Zions Bank): Non-Residual Infusion Bag (Skyline High)
- Finalist Awards (x20), $100 (Zions Bank): All finalists
- Lassonde Studios Founders Scholarships, $1,000 (Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute): All finalists
- College of Science Scholarships, $2,000 (College of Science, University of Utah): The Pee Ball (Weber High)
- Community Impact Award, $2,500 (Entrepreneur Association): Catalyst Center (Davis School District)
HSUEC Top 20 Teams 2024
Here are the top 20 teams for the High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge for 2023-24. These teams advance to the final event. They are listed in alphabetical order:
- All-In-One Shoe (Hillcrest High) – The All-In-One Shoe is a footwear solution that combines innovation, convenience and affordability. Their product features interchangeable soles, allowing you to effortlessly switch between different styles and functions. With a simple removal and attachment mechanism, it offers convenience for the consumer. They provide a versatile, convenient and comfortable shoe with a breathable insole, interchangeable out-soles and a versatile outer layer.
- ApollO2 (Stansbury High) – ApollO2 has developed a prototype to help those who suffer from sleep apnea. They have created a device that monitors blood-oxygen levels and alerts individuals to seek medical attention in dangerous situations. This device is cost-effective and is designed to be an affordable product that you could pick up at a local pharmacy and use to determine if you are experiencing oxygen deficiency. It has potential to decrease the levels of undiagnosed sleep apnea worldwide.
- Boxed (Timpanogos High) – Built from the belief that learning can and should be fun comes the idea for a child-development-focused, educational, subscription-box service called “Boxed.” Their business model functions by releasing research-backed, curated, learning kits packed full of items that fit each month’s unique theme. These boxes include activities that engage children in fundamental growth opportunities themed around subjects such as community service, first aid, art history, fashion design and more.
- GreenDream (Skyline High) – GreenDream’s product, DreamGreen, is an innovative, smart irrigation system that focuses on sustainability, accessibility and flexibility. It provides consumers a way to water their plants effortlessly and reliably by detecting soil moisture levels and irrigating appropriately until the levels meet a user-inputted threshold. Its customization in user-centered thresholds revolutionizes the smart irrigation system market by providing a high-quality, adjustable option at an affordable price.
- GuardianBuddy (Skyline High) – GuardianBuddy aims to reduce the statistics of children and pet deaths from overheating in hot-cars. In comparison to many current market options, GuardianBuddy’s innovative design is more effective while still achieving a competitive price point. Their product consists of multiple sensors paired with an intuitive app to alert guardians of dangerous conditions in their car. GuardianBuddy has the potential to reduce the number of preventable deaths by being accessible to a wider market.
- Handi (Skyline High) – Handi is a platform that connects skilled workers with users to solve all their home problems. By focusing on providing jobs to local skilled workers, they offer an affordable and accessible way for customers to hire these workers. Along with connecting the local community together, Handi creates a global community where users can relate to each other over problems alike and share problem specific tips and tricks. Handi handles everything all in one space.
- Hash Hive Labs Inc. (Park City High) – Hash Hive Labs is a mobile crypto-mining company. Their first product is Hash Hive, an application that may be downloaded on a smartphone and mines digital currency through the unused processing power of users’ phones.
- Hopewear (Academy for Math Engineering & Science) – Hopewear is sustainable, eco-friendly clothing that promotes mental health through positive messages on their clothing. Daily waste of clothing equates to filling one and a half Empire State Buildings, which is why Hopewear upcycles deadstock and recycled textiles for their garments. Mental health is a core value, highlighting their positive designs; 10% of every purchase pays for mental health treatment. These actions combat fast fashion and mental health concerns, providing real-time assistance.
- Munk Skateboarding (American Fork High) – Munk Skateboarding is geared toward positive messages of motivation while doing something hard, like skateboarding or anything else. They want to make a product similar to a suede patch that you put on your shoe to protect it and lengthen its life while skating.
- Non-Residual Infusion Bag (Skyline High) – The founders were inspired when noticing a slight brown residual in their grandma’s anemia iron solution bag. In two-port bags, the residual was 1.0 ml, and in 3-port bags, it amounted to 2.7 ml. The occurrence of wasted medication and dosing inaccuracies prompted the founders to explore solutions for minimizing residual and optimizing medication usage.
- Practically Useful (American Preparatory Academy – Draper) – The GenKit aims to be a generator kit that can be placed on any bike and power the needs of the consumer.
- Rocket Tutors (West High) – Rocket Tutors is a free one-on-one online math tutoring non-profit dedicated to supporting high school and middle school students on their academic journey. Their unique model, funded by donors, not only supports students but also provides tax benefits to companies and individuals contributing to their cause. They keep a small transaction cost to meet their expenses and keep the non-profit running. They recruit experienced teachers who go through a vetting process to guarantee high-quality education.
- Sailrugs (Herriman High) – Sailrugs makes quality handmade tufted rugs. Clients typically approach the founder with a desire to get their business logo or another art form turned into a rug. Custom rugs cost anywhere from $100 to $1,000.
- SPIRLO (Weber High) – SPIRLO is an all-natural sports drink with organic and detoxifying ingredients making it a good choice. This is possible through the help of its leading ingredients: coconut water and algae. With the help of these super-food ingredients, electrolytes are replenished without added sugar and sodium. SPIRLO is the perfect solution for the active, health-conscious consumer. Drink SPIRLO, refresh with the best.
- The Crepe Spot (Cyprus High) – Half healthy, fully delicious. A crepe that just hits the spot every time you eat it. This crepe is not only delicious, but it’s healthy too. The different flavored crepes have less sugar, no preservatives and include 100% natural fruits. These crepes will have a well-prepared menu along with fully customizable options. The founder will have a food truck as well as catering services for big events.
- The Pee Ball (Weber High) – The Pee Ball’s purpose is to prevent and to stop your dog from creating yellow dead spots on your lawn after they urinate. Dogs urinating on a lawn deposit large amounts of nitrogen and salt leaving it with a yellowed or burnt appearance. The Pee Ball’s three-layer approach attempts to remove these harmful chemicals from your lawn but increase its growing power in the process.
- WarmEars (American Fork High) – WarmEars product, Headband With, has secure pockets on the side so you can insert hand warmers. So, if you are skiing or hunting or shoveling the driveway or doing just about anything else in the winter months, it will keep you and your head warm. The founder has tested the pockets in many different situations to see if the hand warmers will fall out.
- Wasp Barrier (Pleasant Grove High) – Wasp Barrier is a specialized product that offers a unique and effective solution for repelling wasps while inviting a safe environment for humans, pets and livestock. Wasp Barrier is a 2-inch plastic sphere filled with a rosemary scent. Customers simply mount Wasp Barrier to any structure by peeling off the paper that reveals the adhesive backside and then stick the product firmly to the structure to begin repelling wasps.
- Weber Rings (American Fork High) – Weber Rings recycles old skateboards and allows skaters to make rings from their old skateboard decks, making unique, stylish and comfortable, layered wood rings.
- WhimsiSculpt Gardens (Granite Technical Institute) – WhimsiSculpt Gardens is an outlet to let out your whimsical fancy and imagination in a magical fairy garden kids kit. The kit, packaged in color, contains a clear acrylic hanging globe, fake moss, a mini house or bridge, animal charms, miniature colorful flowers, bushes or trees, fluorite pebbles and picture card directions. There is no glue or outside supplies required. They offer additional charms, crystals, rocks and butterfly clips. Kids can frequently change the decorative scenery.
About the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is a nationally ranked hub for student entrepreneurship and innovation at the University of Utah and an interdisciplinary division of the David Eccles School of Business. The first programs were offered in 2001, through the vision and support of Pierre Lassonde, an alumnus of the Eccles School and successful mining entrepreneur. The institute now provides opportunities for thousands of students to learn about entrepreneurship and innovation. Programs include workshops, networking events, business-plan competitions, startup support, innovation programs, graduate seminars, scholarships, community outreach and more. All programs are open to students from any academic major or background. The Lassonde Institute also manages Lassonde Studios, a five-story innovation space and housing facility for all students. Learn more at lassonde.utah.edu.
