A statewide panel of judges have selected 16 entries to advance to Phase 2 of Wisconsin YES!, a youth business plan contest for students in middle school and high school.

Students from across the state submitted their science- and tech-based 250-word business summaries through the contest website – WisconsinYES.com – in April to compete in Phase 1.

Past winners have hailed from New Berlin, Minocqua, Weston, New Glarus, Brookfield, Oshkosh, Racine and La Crosse.

Professionals committed to the development of young business leaders in Wisconsin served as judges, scoring the entries and providing constructive feedback to the students. Entries advancing to the next round, including the school, are:

Submission Name Name Community/Grade
Ab ´N Oli Sky Sirinek, Abby Seizer Wauwatosa/9th grade and under
AnywhereTour Julius Zakaria Oak Creek/11th grade
Becker Beds Jason Adix Mequon/11th grade
EZ Garden Lily Wiemer Wauwatosa/9th grade and under
Hung Dung Derius Lucas Wauwatosa/9th grade and under
Marsupial Undershorts Cecilia Maricle, Wyatt Linder, Teemu Keinanen, Georgia Maricle, Mikko Keinanen, Nevaeh Prodzinski Holmen/9th grade and under
Metopia Wyatt Johnson Burnett/12th grade
Relu Nicholas Hu Mequon/11th grade
Ripe Wyatt Ehrhardt Verona/9th grade and under
Schlick Dalton Derringer, Sean Krueger Crivitz/9th grade and under
Signfluent Emily Scott Wauwatosa/9th grade and under
Step-Up Frankie Maynard Brodhead/10th grade
Teplos Snowboard/Ski Wyatt Barker Appleton/12th grade
TouchDrive Einthiri Mudili Franklin/11th grade
We Invest Max Ranft Wauwatosa/9th grade and under
Zoom Book Isabel Taormina Wauwatosa/9th grade and under

Phase 2 will require students to develop their business plan in more detail in a 1,000-word executive summary. Winners will be announced in early June and will be eligible for prizes. The grand prize winner will have the opportunity to present their product at the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference, June 1-2 in Milwaukee. For more information on the conference, visit witrepsconference.com.

The Wisconsin YES! contest is produced by the Wisconsin Technology Council. Major support is provided by WEA Trust, and the UW-Madison Office of Business Engagement.

Contest partners have included the Department of Financial Institutions, Department of Public Instruction, the Association of Wisconsin School AdministratorsMake a Difference Wisconsin, Project Lead the Way WisconsinSTEM Forward, Wisconsin Association of School BoardsWisconsin Society of Science Teachers and Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials

The Tech Council is the independent, non-profit and non-partisan science and technology adviser to the Governor and the Legislature. It serves as a catalyst for tech-based economic development in Wisconsin through programs such as the Tech Council Investor Networks, the Governor’s Business Plan Contest and the Tech Council Innovation Network.

Learn more at WisconsinYES.com or contact the Wisconsin Technology Council at 608-442-7557.