05/18/2026
Keynote Speaker: Kieran Davis is a Business Advisory with the Youngstown Business Incubator, an Entrepreneur, and an Author. He founded a personal development platform focused on faith, mindset, and discipline, named after his recently published book titled “Our Solemn Oath: A Call to Wake Up!”
Student Entrepreneurs of the Year: Trinity Webster, Hickory High School, and Bodhi Paknis, Sharon High School. These two students were recognized for their entrepreneurial mindsets.
eAcademy Scholarship: Natalia Habib, Farrell High School, was awarded $1,000.00 by the eAcademy Program. This award is given to a young innovator who plans to turn their passion into a meaningful purpose.
528 Fund Scholarship: Trinity Webster, Hickory High School, was awarded $1,500.00 by Giavonna’s Gourmet Coffee As a brand built on creativity, resilience, and positive energy, they’re proud to support the next generation of entrepreneurs who are ready to make an impact.
Demo Day Pitch Competition:
Demo Day is the eAcademy’s end-of-the-year student startup showcase, powered by Daffin's Candies. It simulates competition in the real world by allowing teams to vie for funds by showing their progress toward proof of concept, future product development, and add-on markets. Teams competed on Sunday, May 17th, at Buhl Park in the Casino Ballroom for $5,000.00!
Prior to this pitch competition, students had to write a full business plan and complete a business model canvas to prove that they had a disciplined, sustainable, and measurable path to profitability. Each team delivered a 5-minute business pitch, showcased their working prototype, and answered questions from our panel of local judges:
💚Fontineese D. Green, Speaker, Author, and Entrepreneur with the House of Divelle, Inc.
💚Rebecca Page, Executive Director at Mercer County Food Bank
💚Bradley Calleja, Executive Director of the LindenPointe Development Corporation
💚Lorie Hines, Executive Director at Hope Center for Arts and Technology, Inc
💚Leah Sizer, Civic and Student Life Coordinator with Penn State Shenango
5th Place: Revival Atelier, a vintage-inspired clothing brand, created by Skye Brocklehurst, Greenville High School. $100.00
4th Place: SheTalks, a podcast where women take the mic and discuss a variety of topics relating to female health and safety. Created by Keyona Little, Farrell High School, Natalia Habib, Farrell High School, and Rylee Delgross, Hickory High School. $300.00
3rd Place: SewAbility and Altitude tied for 3rd place, each earning $350.00. SewAbility is a mobile van that alters clothing for people with disabilities, and was created by Marissa Cataldi, Greenville High School. Altitude is a streetwear clothing brand focused on bringing style to taller customers. It was created by Jack Tucker, Mohawk High School, Jase Rouser, Mohawk High School, and Trinity Webster, Hickory High School.
2nd Place: Pocket Socket is a driver’s best friend! This socket wrench tool is perfect for car enthusiasts and anyone tackling DIY home improvement projects. It was created by three students from Hickory High School: Jose Abalos, Matthew Hassel, and Kevin Swartz. Pocket Socket earned $1,350.00
1st Place: Delicious Degree, a college cookbook that teaches students how to master the microwave, took home $2,550.00 and a variety of in-kind services. Congratulations to these student entrepreneurs from Sharon High School: Bodhi Paknis, Raquel Craig, and Sam Po***ck.
