Future Founders and Ford Motor Company Fund Award $12,500 in College Scholarships

February 7, 2023

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last November, Future Founders concluded the final Be Your Own Boss cohort of 2022, and we are thrilled to announce that 

Be Your Own Boss is a multi-week paid internship that gives high school students the opportunity to explore the startup ecosystem, network with professional entrepreneurs, and build community with peers from all different backgrounds. This cohort of 33 students, representing 20+ high schools across Chicago, had the extraordinary opportunity to learn entrepreneurship firsthand and compete to win money for college thanks to the generous support of the Ford Motor Company Fund.

The students came together for three weeks to explore the ins and outs of entrepreneurship, ultimately collaborating to develop and pitch their original business ideas to a panel of esteemed judges. After deliberation, the judges declared one team the overall winner for best pitch and awarded them each a share of $12,500 in scholarships provided by the Ford Motor Company Fund. Friends, family, and community members also voted on the People’s Choice Award-winning team, who each earned an additional $100 as part of their stipend.

“[The Be Your Own Boss program] gave me an insight into who is behind many businesses and really showed me that people from all walks of life can do something big.” 

– Jamari Walton, Perspectives Joslin High School

Future Founders would like to extend our sincerest thanks to the Ford Motor Company Fund, as well as to the amazing set of volunteers who made this program possible, including:

• Mike Abramovic (Co-founder, Under)
• Abidemi Awojuyigbe (CEO & Founder, Scholist)*
• Julia Brzozowski (Assurance Associate, EY)
• Kit Chow (Co-founder & COO, Internship on Demand)
• Cherish Davis (Founder, Che Marie Graphics)*
• Enrique de Lima (Head of Growth, Brave Up)
• Austin Jarvis (Senior Consultant, EY)
• Aleksander Jevtic (Co-founder & CEO, Trust Vector)
• Sean Keinzle (Financial Advisor & Senior Vice President, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management)
• Paige Mongomery (Founder & Real Estate Broker, PWM Group)
• Taylor Morrison (Founder, Inner Workout)*
• Kari O’Connor (Partner, EY)
• Matt Ragas (Professor, College of Communication, DePaul University)
• Tanisha Sharma (FSO Valuation, EY)

*denotes present Future Founders Fellow and/or program alumni

If you’d like to know more about the prize-winning ideas from this year’s pitch competition, read on for the full list:

Pitch Competition Winners:

Trans Projection – a startup focused on making public transit screens more accurate and accessible

• Sweetlana Padilla, Simpson Academy for Young Women
• Umar Sheikh, Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
• Ian Hardy, Perspectives Joslin Campus
• Razanne Zebbar, Chicago Math & Science Academy
• Sincere Medina, Perspectives Joslin Campus

For winning the pitch competition, these students received a share of $12,500 in college scholarships from the Ford Motor Company Fund. These funds will be available to students upon graduating from high school.

People’s Choice Award Winners 

Umbrella Tron – a backpack with a built in umbrella for an all-in-one device on the go.

• Amarrionne Barrow, Perspectives Math & Science High School
• Aaliyah Cain, Butler College Prep
• Natalie Lising, The Chicago High School for the Arts
• Emmanuel Arrezola, Garcia High School
• Yanali Kelly, Golder High School

People’s Choice Award Winners received an extra $100 as part of their stipend. 

The next cohorts of Be Your Own Boss will run from Monday, February 20 – Wednesday, March 15 and Tuesday, April 18 – Thursday, May 11, 2023. For more information or to apply, visit our program page.