Fresno student in national business plan pitch challenge

FRESNO
October 9, 2012 12:32pm

Alejandra Garcia, a 17-year-old senior at Duncan Polytechnical High School in Fresno, and her business Valentin Dresses, are in the running for Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship’s (NFTE) third annual national Online Elevator Pitch Challenge.

Fresno State’s Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship hosts NFTE in the central San Joaquin Valley.

On Thursday, Oct. 11, Alejandra competes in New York against 33 other students from across the United States for a $25,000 prize and a $5,000 Coleman Entrepreneurial Scholarship. She was the top student among five in sixth annual NFTE Central Valley Business Plan Competition last spring, winning $500 and the trip to New York to compete at the national level.

Each student among the 33 finalists also submitted a 60 second video for the 2012 Elevator Pitch Challenge, which has a $2,500 top prize and numerous other prizes at stake.

In her video, Ms. Garcia overhears a customer’s frustration with finding a formal dress and discusses the inspiration for Valentin Dresses, which is a custom dress-making business serving the central San Joaquin Valley.

Casey Lamonski, educational outreach program coordinator for the Lyles Center says of Ms. Garcia’s success, “In her time at the Lyles Center and in the NFTE program, Alejandra has excelled. She understands what her customers are looking for and provides a quality product. Her success exemplifies how good her business is.”