This story was submitted by Ariana Gauba, grade 10.
More than 120 Harker DECA members attended the regional Silicon Valley Career Development Conference (SVCDC), held Jan. 6-8 at the Santa Clara Marriott. SVCDC officially kicked off this year’s competitive season and consisted of testing, roleplay and written presentations, as well as speeches from the state officer team and the election of this year’s California DECA vice president of Silicon Valley.
“This SVCDC was a really memorable experience,” said CEO Anika Muddu, grade 12. “It was our first completely back-to-normal regional conference after COVID, so the energy was amazing, and I could really tell that everyone gave it their all. It was an amazing experience for our first-year members, and I’m incredibly proud of the chapter’s competitive success!”
During the opening ceremony, California DECA’s VP of Silicon Valley, Vineeta Muvvala, and VP of leadership, Nitin Jaladanki, introduced the conference, went through the schedule for the weekend, and introduced this year’s theme, “Get the Edge.” They also honored the late Pam McKenney, who was a crucial part of California DECA. Attendees also listened to speeches from the candidates for this year’s VP of Silicon Valley, one of which is Harker DECA’s director of written events, sophomore Emily Mitnick.
“The Silicon Valley conference was a great experience for me as a candidate because I got to meet and talk to hundreds of students in the span of three days. I had never given a speech to over 100 people before, so presenting my speech to over 800 students and teachers was an important milestone,” Mitnick said. “The two other candidates were both so friendly, and I couldn’t have been happier to spend my time getting to know them and becoming friends with them.”
The next day was dedicated to competition. All competitors participated in their roleplay and written presentations. Harker DECA competed in a wide variety of events, including individual series and team decision-making roleplays, as well as Entrepreneurship, Professional Selling, Integrated Marketing, Operations Research plans and more.
“SVCDC definitely aided in building my confidence when competing. From the time I spent practicing, presenting, and competing there, I built upon my speaking skills and expanded my overall knowledge of business management. Having a competition locally made me more comfortable in the environment,” said attendee Minal Jalil, grade 9.
The final day of SVCDC consisted of awards ceremonies. Students made their way to the grand ballroom on Sunday morning for the Mini Awards Ceremony, where many Harker DECA chapter members were recognized for their test and presentation scores. Harker was extremely successful, with many students becoming finalists and 35 teams placing in the top three for their events.
“The conference itself was a great experience and I really enjoyed learning, presenting my ideas, and spending time with friends. Placing first in my event was one of the best feelings because it felt like all the work I had put into my project had finally paid off,” said sophomore Sahil Varma, a first-place winner in Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling.
“I am so proud of each and every student that competed in this conference,” said Juston Glass, Harker business and entrepreneurship teacher and chapter advisor. “It was obvious that all competitors worked extremely hard on their presentations, and there is no doubt that we got the edge at this conference! From winning glass to Emily being elected VP of Silicon Valley, this conference is definitely a memorable one. I can’t wait to see the great things Harker will do at SCDC!”
Top three award winners are as follows:
First Place:
– Joy Hu, grade 9: Integrated Marketing Campaign – Event
– Sahil Varma, grade 10: Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling
– Claire Luo, grade 11: Professional Selling; Sports and Entertainment Marketing Series
– Sathvik Chundru, grade 11: Innovation Plan
– Annmaria Antony and Grace Hoang, both grade 12; Independent Business Plan
– Ashley Hong and Metrica Shi, both grade 11: Franchise Business Plan
– Tanisha Singh, grade 11: Business Service Operations Research
– Valerie Li, grade 10: Buying and Merchandising Operations Research
– Alicia Ran, grade 10, Tiana Salvi, grade 10: Finance Operations Research
– Meishin Yen and Medha Yarlagadda, both grade 11: Hospitality and Tourism Operations Research
– Saahira Dayal, grade 10: Automotive Services Marketing Series
– Sanaa Bhorkar, grade 10: Business Services Marketing Series
– Meishin Yen, grade 11: Hotel and Lodging Management Series
– Andrew Au and Edward Huang, both grade 11: Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making
– Ariana Gauba and Shaila Tandon, both grade 10: Travel and Tourism Team Decision Making
Second Place:
– Shiven Balaji, grade 10: Integrated Marketing Campaign – Product
– Caleb Tang, Jonathan Wang and Bowen Xia, all grade 10: Franchise Business Plan
– Krish Arora, grade 9: Principles of Finance
– Maya Affaki, grade 10: Hotel and Lodging Management Series
– Chloe Lee, grade 11: Marketing Communications Series
– Caleb Tang, grade 10: Quick Serve Restaurant Management Series
– Roshan Amurthur and Angelina Antony, grade 9: Marketing Management Team Decision Making
Third Place:
– Saahira Dayal, grade 10: Financial Consulting
– Allison Huang, and Ruhi Banerjee, both grade 9: Buying and Merchandising Operations Research
– Gary Jin, grade and Jason Yi, both grade 10: Sports and Entertainment Marketing Operations Research
– Joy Hu, grade 9: Principles of Business Management and Administration
– Aashvi Ravi, grade 9: Principles of Hospitality and Tourism
– Sophia Ou, grade 9: Principles of Marketing
– Alicia Ran, grade 10: Apparel and Accessories Marketing Series
– Vedant Balachandran, grade 10: Food Marketing Series
– Keren Eisenberg, grade 10: Marketing Communications Series
– Medha Yarlagadda, grade 10: Restaurant and Food Service Management Series
– Grace Hoang and Annmaria Antony, both grade 12: Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making
– Gary Jin, grade and Jason Yi, both grade 10: Sports and Entertainment Marketing Team Decision Making
From Jan. 7-9 the Harker DECA chapter participated in the Silicon Valley Career Development Conference (SVCDC), the first competitive conference of the year. The transition back to the in-person environment sparked excitement in the community, as the event garnered over 120 signups. The weekend consisted of written and roleplay presentations in front of professional judges, networking opportunities and motivational speeches from California DECA’s State Officer Team.
On the first day of the conference, each student took exams in their respective clusters: Marketing, Business Management and Administration, Finance, Hospitality and Tourism, or Business Administration Core. Later that evening, SVCDC kicked off with the opening session in the Grand Ballroom. California DECA’s vice president of Silicon Valley, Tim Jing, announced the theme of the year, “Maximize Your Momentum,” and encouraged all Silicon Valley DECA members to do so while at the conference. The opening session closed with a talent show featuring two acts from the Harker DECA chapter. Sophomores Chloe Lee and Kaitlyn Wang and junior Anika Muddu performed an acoustic version of “Gone” by Rosé, while sophomore Shreeya Merchia sang a powerful rendition of “Red” by Taylor Swift.
The next morning, roleplay events began, which primarily consist of team decision-making, individual series, principles and personal financial literacy roleplays. Soon after, members competed in their written events where they gave 15-minute presentations in entrepreneurship, integrated marketing campaign, professional selling or business operations research categories. For the remainder of the afternoon, students socialized with friends and explored restaurants nearby.
On Sunday, the mini awards ceremony recognized competitors who performed exceptionally well in the testing, roleplay or presentation subcategories of their events.
“I honestly was so shocked when I received the awards, but I was extremely happy that my hard work paid off and I was able to perform well in my events. In the end it was a great and thrilling experience,” said Saahira Dayal, grade 9, who placed second overall in Principles of Business Management and Administration.
Later, during the grand awards ceremony, a total of 20 Harker teams placed in the top three overall for their events, while many more earned spots in the top 10 awards.
Overall, despite the effects of COVID-19, the conference was a huge success. It provided attendees with a fantastic experience that provided valuable insights into their competitive events and a special chance to forge new friendships.
“I’m incredibly proud of all the officers and attendees for adapting to the new restrictions and environment at this conference. It was great to see how much dedication everyone put into their competitive events, and I can’t wait to maximize our momentum at the State and International conferences this year!” said Juston Glass, Harker DECA’s chapter advisor.
Members placing in the top three are as follows:
First Place:
Shreeya Merchia, grade 10, and Anika Muddu, grade 11: Sports and Entertainment Operations Research
Marcus Blennemann, grade 9: Principles of Finance
Second Place:
Chloe Lee and Kaitlyn Wang, both grade 10: Marketing Team Decision Making
Bowen Xia, grade 9: Principles of Finance
Tanisha Singh, grade 10: Entrepreneurship Series
Medha Yarlagadda, grade 10: Restaurant and Food Service Management Series
Claire Luo, grade 10: Sports and Entertainment Marketing Series
Saahira Dayal, grade 9: Principles of Business Management
Third Place:
Chloe Lee, Kaitlyn Wang and Cynthia Wang, all grade 10: Integrated Marketing Campaign- Event
Marcus Blennemann and Nelson Gou, both grade 9: Entrepreneurship Innovation Plan
Catherine He, grade 12: International Business Plan
Saahira Dayal, grade 9: Franchise Business Plan
Jonathan Wang, grade 9: Principles of Finance
Valerie Li, grade 9: Hospitality and Tourism Operations Research
Ashwin Kuppahally and Adrian Liu, both grade 10: Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making
Bowen Xia, Caleb Tang and Jonathan Wang, both grade 9: Finance Operations Research
Sanaa Bhorkar, grade 9: Principles of Business Management
Justin Chen, grade 10: Business Finance Series
Meishin Yen, grade 10: Hotel and Lodging Management Series
Catherine He, grade 12: Restaurant and Food Service Management Series
From Feb. 22-25, 139 students from The Harker School DECA Chapter attended the 2021 State Career Development Conference (SCDC). This conference was held virtually due to COVID-19, and students competed by submitting recordings of their events. To simulate the in-person conference feel, SCDC also featured Career Prep Academy Workshops and a Harker DECA chapter social. Overall, Harker performed admirably, with 59 overall finalists and 28 top four written event and top five role-play winners.
“SCDC was the culmination of Harker DECA’s efforts this past year, and I am extremely proud of how far our students have come,” said senior Anvitha Tummala, Harker DECA co-CEO. “Everyone has demonstrated such commendable adaptability with a virtual DECA experience, and due to a competitively successful SCDC, I’m excited to see our chapter compete at ICDC next month!”
The conference started off with the opening ceremony, which our chapter watched through a livestream on Zoom. Students were motivated to find their purpose by keynote speaker Quinn Tempest, a successful entrepreneur who has dedicated herself to helping people reach their life goals. Tempest said, “never stop asking yourself big important questions” and “purpose is the ‘why’ that drives what you do.”
“She discussed her personal motivators and what led her to be a successful entrepreneur, inspiring me to search for my own purpose in the work I do,” said Clarice Wang, grade 11, Harker DECA VP of operations. Since this competition was held online, submissions worked similarly to SVCDC, and members were given two days to record their written presentations and roleplays, put the documents in a Google Drive folder, and turn in the link to the DECA submissions portal.
“Though I’d much rather be presenting in person, it isn’t all bad! I liked that we could re-record if we made a small mistake, and the conference went very smoothly,” said Shreeya Merchia, grade 9.
SCDC activities continued with a Harker DECA Chapter social which took place on March 5. The Harker DECA Officer team prepared a variety of fun and engaging breakout-room activities such as baking cookies, playing Among Us, watching “Wandavision,” participating in sports trivia and more. Members were allowed to hop between as many of the bonding activities as they liked, the most popular being “Wandavision.”
“Although this is our second time competing in an online format, the Harker DECA chapter has been preparing for a virtual competition the entire year through Zoom study sessions. Students submitted videos of their presentations and PDFs of their business plans that were judged asynchronously,” said senior Bryan Zhang, Harker DECA VP of competitions. “Despite not being able to have live competition, we were still able to simulate business case studies and develop ourselves professionally. The virtual format also demanded higher levels of creativity and teamwork to stay ahead of the curve of other teams, which I am sure will benefit all competitors in the long term.”
The competition concluded with an awards ceremony hosted by California DECA on Thursday, March 11. Members joined a livestream as the California DECA officer team recognized advisors and announced ICDC (International Career Development Conference) qualifiers. To simulate stage recognition at an in-person conference, winners were spotlighted when their names were announced. Along with our chapter members’ achievements, Harker DECA was recognized for achieving Gold Level Certification for the Chapter Awards Program, as well as Thrive Level for the Chapter Campaigns and Membership Campaign.
“From kicking off the conference with a motivational message about purpose, our competitors no doubt found their purpose while competing at SCDC. I’m incredibly proud of the officer team for helping run this conference smoothly, and I am looking forward to making more conference memories at ICDC!” said chapter advisor Juston Glass. “Congratulations to all of our ICDC qualifiers. Go Harker Eagles!”
Members qualifying for ICDC are as follows:
1st Place
• Shreeya Merchia, grade 9; Principles of Marketing
• Vienna Parnell, grade 11; Hotel and Lodging Management Series
• Vedant Kenkare, grade 11; Marketing Communications Series
• Bodhi Saha, grade 11, Kaden Kapadia, grade 11; Sports Entertainment Marketing Team Decision Making
Plan
• Ananya Bammi, grade 10, Saavi Kumar, grade 10; Finance Operations Research
• Miki Mitarai, grade 9, Medha Yarlagadda, grade 9, Meishin Yen, grade 9; Hospitality and Tourism Operations
Research
• Margaret Cartee, grade 9; Principles of Business Management and Administration
• Bryan Zhang, grade 12; Sports and Entertainment Marketing Series
• Emily Zhou, grade 11, Emily Tan, grade 11; Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making
• Aditya Singhvi, grade 12, Andrew Sun, grade 12; Hospitality Services Team Decision Making
• Annmaria Antony, grade 10, Grace Hoang, grade 10; Marketing Management Team Decision Making
3rd Place
• Emily Tan, grade 11, Emily Zhou, grade 11; Business Services Operations Research
• Leisha Devisetti, grade 10; Sports and Entertainment Marketing Operations Research
• Cynthia Wang, grade 9; Principles of Marketing
• Rohan Varma, grade 12; Automotive Services Marketing Series
4th Place
• Max Xing, grade 9, Carey Chang, grade 9, Kevin Zhang, grade 9; Hospitality and Tourism Operations Research
• Ananya Bammi, grade 10, Saavi Kumar, grade 10; Financial Services Team Decision Making
• April Sun, grade 11; Restaurant and Food Services Management
• April Sun, grade 11; Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling
• Camilla Lindh, grade 11; Quick Serve Restaurant Management Series
5th Place
• Simren Kochhar, grade 11; Entrepreneurship Individual Series
• Sara Wan, grade 10; Human Resources Management Series
• Sujith Pakala, grade 11; Quick Serve Restaurant Management
• Victoria Han, grade 11, Catherine He, grade 11; Travel and Tourism Team Decision Making
• Elvis Han, grade 11, Melody Luo, grade 11; Marketing Management Team Decision Making
This story was submitted by Radha Mehta, grade 10.
From Jan. 11-14, 135 students from the Harker DECA chapter attended the 2021 Silicon Valley Career Development Conference (SVCDC). Due to the pandemic, this conference was held virtually, and students competed by submitting recordings of their events. SVCDC also featured Multiply Your Leadership Workshops and a Harker DECA chapter social to maintain the in-person conference feel. Overall, Harker performed admirably, with 100 finalists and 35 top three winners.
“I’ve seen our chapter members spend hours on Zoom tinkering with their presentations in the online environment, so I was so excited to see their hard work pay off at SVCDC!” said senior Lisa Barooah, Harker DECA co-CEO. “Our competitive analysis showed record competitive success, which hopefully motivates a new wave of dedicated DECA members. From chapter yoga sessions to celebratory DoorDashes, it was great to have a sense of normalcy and enjoy some DECA bonding.”
On Monday, students began their virtual SVCDC experience with the Conference Kickoff, where attendees from around the Bay Area gathered in a livestream of the opening ceremony. Keynote speaker Scott Williams gave motivational advice to the young entrepreneurs in attendance with his wise words of experience. Williams said, “managers tell it but leaders sell it” and “great leadership is less about the leader and more about the ship.”
“I really enjoyed the speech that Scott Williams gave at SVCDC. Even though it was virtual, it was still both a wonderful and engaging experience, especially for the first time attendees,” said Anika Muddu, grade 10, Harker DECA director of roleplays. Despite this conference being held online, the competition aspect went exceptionally smoothly. Students were given two days to record their written and roleplay events, put the files in a Google Drive folder, then turn in the link to the Google Drive folder to the DECA portal.
“I really liked how easy the submission process was; it made the entire conference a lot less stressful,” said Annmaria Antony, grade 10.
After submitting their competitions, the Harker DECA Chapter attended a mandatory meeting where the officer team announced the Chapter Social. This meeting along with the chapter meeting at the beginning of the conference where Muddu went over roleplay skills, mimicked the in-person conference experience.
“Competing in DECA online was a really interesting experience. I learned how to adapt to unexpected challenges and make the most of limited resources, a skill that I will carry with me through high school and beyond,” said sophomore Ada Praun-Petrovic. A week later, from Jan. 25-27, members were required to attend a Multiply Your Leadership event and a judge feedback session. At the Multiply Your Leadership sessions, students participated in a fun trivia game and received tips about becoming a leader. At the judge feedback sessions, SVCDC judges explained to the attendees what they enjoyed seeing in competitions and what members should avoid during conferences.
The Harker DECA Chapter Social took place Jan. 27 and was designed for students to participate in a fun team-bonding activity. Members were allowed to choose between a guided meditation session with certified yoga and meditation instructor Ben Wexler and a poster making activity with Muddu.
“Harker DECA not only participated in an unprecedented event being virtual, but we also had unprecedented results having the most wins overall for the first time in our Silicon Valley District, despite being a small school. I couldn’t be more proud of the officers who helped make the conference the success that it was and for our competitors who demonstrated sound resiliency throughout the process and delivered excellent results. Now we look forward to the state conference. Go Eagles!” said Juston Glass, business and entrepreneurship teacher and chapter advisor.
This story was submitted by Gianna Chan, grade 11.
From Oct. 19-23, five teams participated in California DECA’s business pitch challenge, an entrepreneurship video competition modeled after the entrepreneurship events in DECA conferences. Competitors were required to create a new business idea and record a 10-minute presentation about their product or service.
Three Harker students, Harshini Chaturvedula, Anjali Yella and Jasmine Ishikawa, all grade 9, won second place with their app Oasis, which provides detailed information on COVID-19 statistics and safety tips. The app features an interactive map displaying local COVID case numbers, as well as a user rating system for cities and locations such as malls and restaurants focusing on three main areas: mask usage, social distancing and sanitation. “Going into the challenge, we mainly just hoped to receive some feedback and did not expect to win anything,” Yella said. “We worked continuously on our project and received feedback from our parents and DECA mentors, using this to improve our innovation. We learned how to distribute work amongst ourselves and also use teamwork to complete the project on time.”
Congratulations to Harshini, Anjali and Jasmine and all of the participants!
From Aug. 15-16, 70 students attended Harker DECA’s seventh annual Launch event, which is designed to introduce prospective members to DECA and the Harker School’s business, economics and entrepreneurship department. Through detailed lectures, interactive activities, mock competitions, guest speakers and alumni panels, students were given an idea of what this year will look like. Due to the current circumstances, Launch was held over Zoom this year. Because this was the first virtual Launch, the officer team tried to simulate the in-person experience online.
“The Innovation Challenge allows our DECA Launch attendees to design a mini business plan for a product or service that they see a need for in the market. Along with creating an executive summary, groups present their ideas before a panel of alumni judges at the end of DECA Launch,” said Harker DECA co-chief executive officer Lisa Barooah, grade 12. “Since this year DECA Launch was held virtually, we redesigned the activities to be more engaging and more considerate of screen time. We added three icebreaker activities for group bonding and inserted 10-minute breaks into the schedule. Finally, after noticing room for improvement in the groups’ presentations at last year’s launch, our director of technology held a graphic design workshop on day two. Students presented impressive pitches in the Closing Ceremony due to these changes, which I thoroughly enjoyed.”
Early Saturday morning, students joined the Zoom call and viewed a slideshow of images from past conferences while the operations team took attendance. Then, sophomore Rohan Gorti as well as CEO of the 2019-20 school year, Phil Han ‘20, spoke about their past experiences with Harker DECA.
The officers held an icebreaker game for the attendees to get to know their innovation challenge teammates and the officers. Junior Melody Luo, director of writtens, introduced the students to the weekend’s main activity, the Innovation Challenge, before students went into breakout rooms with their teams and assigned officers. With the guidance of an upperclassman mentor, attendees brainstormed product ideas on virtual whiteboards and started working on their executive summaries.
“Despite the unprecedented online format, this year’s Launch was just as memorable, if not more so, as past events, with students embracing each part of the experience with brimming enthusiasm,” Luo said. “As they learned the ins and outs of roleplays with their mentors and collaborated together on their very first executive summary, there was an emerging sense of community that DECA is so known for. Launch is always special to the DECA officer team because it’s our first opportunity to bond with the new members and share with them the thrilling aspects of the competitive season.”
Next, the attendees bonded with their Innovation Challenge teams through an at-home Scavenger Hunt, in which they were asked to complete a DECA Bingo and pitch a random item for 30 seconds, along with other various activities. Through this exercise, students formed a stronger bond with their mentors and teammates. Attendees were then introduced to the several sectors of DECA events through the Cluster Presentations.
The last day of Launch, Juston Glass, business and entrepreneurship teacher and DECA chapter advisor, presented on all of Harker’s business and entrepreneurship programs. Next, sophomore Anika Muddu, director of roleplays, hosted a presentation introducing the attendees to roleplays before senior Bryan Zhang, VP of competitions, hosted a Kahoot! game covering the Business Administration Core exam topics. Afterward, Catherine He, grade 11, director of technology, hosted a graphic design workshop, which further prepared attendees for their Innovation Challenge presentations. Attendees then went back to their breakout session to work on the Innovation Challenge.
The Roleplay Tournament was a key part of Launch and took place on Sunday afternoon. Mentors were assigned to small groups and explained the process and guidelines of a roleplay. Subsequently, students were paired up with judges to present their roleplays.
“Launch was a fun and exciting way to learn more about DECA. I enjoyed with my team on the innovation challenge and competing in the roleplay and I look forward to participating in these events during the school year,” said Olivia Xu, grade 9.
Attendees were given extra time after the Roleplay Tournament for practicing their Innovation Challenge presentations before the parents joined the session for the Alumni Panel and the Closing Ceremony. The students and parents were given the opportunity to ask five alumni – Vignesh Panchanatham ’18, Enya Lu ’19, Lucas Wang ’17, Shania Wang ’19 and Savi Joshi ’15 – questions about how DECA has impacted their high school and college paths, as well as career choices. Afterward, teams pitched their Innovation Challenge ideas to the judges, who graded them on, presentation, innovation and teamwork. Attendees and parents watched a Launch recap video while the judges worked on scoring the teams. Closing speeches from Glass and the CEOs and the award ceremony concluded the weekend.
“Despite it being online, I really enjoyed the DECA launch this year and I can’t wait to attend conferences!” said attendee Sonya Apsey, grade 9.
Harker DECA is excited to welcome all new and returning members and is looking forward to starting the next school year with an exceptional group of future leaders.
“While the event was unprecedented in its delivery format, both the participants and our DECA officer team were very open, receptive and excited to dive right into the program. Students were able to meet new friends, prepare for the upcoming DECA year and finished the weekend with amazing business ideas and pitches. Can’t wait to see what the rest of the year holds for our Harker DECA chapter. Go Eagles!” said Glass.
Students that won awards are as follows (all winners are in grade 9):
Harker’s business and entrepreneurship (B.E.) department this summer introduced the Harker Incubator Program, one of the first high school incubator programs in the country. As a result, not only are two Harker student entrepreneurs well-positioned to take their business dreams to the next level, one has found a backer ready to help him get there. The five other members of the program took on various leadership roles that helped them become familiar with the entrepreneurial process.
The incubator is an intensive, student-led and community-supported program in which student entrepreneurs receive a seed grant, mentorship, academic curriculum and internal support from a student leadership team to help them develop and grow their startup companies while networking with Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, startups and investors. Officially, the program ran from July 24 to Aug. 4, but entrepreneurs, teachers and student leaders worked all summer on the businesses.
The program supplies three of the critical ingredients for entrepreneurial success, said Michael Acheatel, who teaches the class: strategic advice and mentorship, a dedicated support team and seed funding.
Funding was provided by Harker via a generous supporter of the incubator program. Strategic advice and mentorship was provided by industry professionals, including seasoned entrepreneurs, serial investors, corporate executives, product marketers and technology developers. Students also visited mentor companies in the Bay Area. Acheatel, who teaches in in the B.E. department during the school year, provided dedicated support along the with the other student leaders in the program.
In the Beginning
In the spring, students submitted business plans and pitched their companies; after carefully considering the applicants, Acheatel and his student leadership team selected two student companies and things started moving.
Rising senior Nirban Bhatia, founder of Xpress Chef, has undertaken significant pivots with his business concept, a common occurrence in the startup world, and has nearly completed the development of an online marketplace that provides on-demand, in-home, private chef dining experiences. Xpress Chef is launching its pilot this summer. The company provides a personalized, less expensive alternative to the personal chef industry through a unique, vertical integration business model.
Bhatia’s strategic advisor has committed to funding his pilot program and linked him up with a local restaurateur who has committed to providing operational support – facilities and chefs – for the pilot program, said Acheatel.
Bhatia found the whole experience eye-opening. “I think my biggest takeaway is that entrepreneurship doesn’t come easy at all,” he said. “We hear about companies that have been bought for millions of dollars, but we never really realize how much blood, sweat and tears are necessary to make the smallest of ideas successful. Once you get your feet wet and actually begin to put together a business, it’s clear that there will always be challenges and surprises that jump out without warning, so you have to be aware and make sure every loose end is taken care of.”
Bhatia said his mentors were game changers. “The mentors I met through the incubator program have truly sprung me forward with their great advice, constructive criticism and support for my vision,” he noted. “The back and forth conversations with some of my mentors have led me to develop the final concept I will be pitching at the event on Friday. After reworking different business models through these last two weeks, I truly have to credit my final investor stage plan to the belief and support my mentors provided.
“Due to strategic partnerships, I have aligned with a Silicon Valley restaurateur and a serial entrepreneur, and a pilot program for the service should be up and running in the South Bay within a few weeks,” he said. “If all goes well, we anticipate growing our chef network and developing a full mobile application for the platform.
“This idea wouldn’t have come to fruition without the incubator,” said Bhatia. “The tremendous opportunity to connect with mentors and have access to a small amount of seed funding is a major incentive and motivator for entrepreneurs who have no other way to begin. I still remember the day I heard about the inaugural incubator program at a school meeting and I thought to myself, ‘This is my chance.'”
Meanwhile, Harker rising sophomore Mahi Kolla founded The Minty Boutique, a producer of artistic stationary supplies specializing in hand-crafted pins and clips. Launched in 2015, The Minty Boutique has sold over 100 units on Etsy with sales coming from the company’s social media marketing efforts.
The nascent company already has been offered partnership opportunities with online retailers and is actively expanding into brick-and-mortar retailers. Kolla is leveraging social media with sites on Etsy shop, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest. This summer, Kolla launched an e-commerce site, expanded her product line to include notebooks, became an approved vendor at the Downtown San Jose Farmers Market and ran her first Google, Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns.
Kolla also found her mentors to be exceptionally helpful. “My biggest takeaway from the incubator summer program has been the connection I made with my mentors,” she said. “The mentors that Acheatel and the incubator officers have curated for both of the students’ companies are extremely helpful and committed to benefiting the students in any way possible.
“The mentors have been really helpful in building a brand around my product. They are very dedicated when working with the student. All of my mentors have followed up with me after our meeting to see how they can further assist me in my entrepreneurial journey. All of them have offered unique suggestions based on their area of expertise,” she said.
The incubator program has turbocharged her growth. “My company would not have grown as much as it has through the incubator,” noted Kolla. “The incubator program has provided me a clear plan for the next five years. I know exactly what I should be focusing on and how I should be expanding the company.
“I now know how to build a cohesive brand, how to analyze my customers’ behavior and how to act on this information. I have learned so many things from the incubator and I will forever be grateful for this amazing experience. I am really excited to showcase what I learned and how my company has grown in the last two weeks. My company has always been a passion project until I realized it has the potential to be a major brand in the stationery industry,” Kolla finished.
Over the summer, the two entrepreneurs were busy. Kolla rented a booth at the Downtown San Jose Farmers Market to test that environment. Sales surpassed expectations and The Minty Boutique has become an approved vendor. She also ran test marketing campaigns on social media sites, developed her own website to supplement her Etsy site and built up her inventory.
Bhatia continued to develop and modify his online platform, conducted surveys and did some alpha testing. He has gone through several iterations of his product and business model. This experience not only saved him significant time and money, but provided him with invaluable lessons that most first-time entrepreneurs learn the hard way. During the two-week program, the entrepreneurs brought their pitches up to investor-grade quality by refining their pitch decks and doing mock presentations.
The two entrepreneurs also saw startups in action. Bhatia toured Y Media Labs in Redwood City, a world-class mobile app design and development company, where he learned from the senior product manager about the company’s development philosophy, strategies and methodologies. Bhatia also had a rap session with the CEO to discuss product strategy. Kolla toured Minted in San Francisco, an online marketplace of independent artists and designers, where she met with professionals from marketing, artist relations, partnerships, operations and finance.
It Takes a Village
The five student officers who came at the program from the administrative angle gained many of the same insights as the entrepreneurs, as they helped them prepare for the Startup Showcase, the culminating investor pitch event on Aug. 4. They are rising seniors Rahul Mehta, executive director; Vignesh Panchanatham, operations director; Kaitlin Hsu, marketing director; Shreyas Chandrashekaran, curriculum development director; and rising junior Jessica Pan, public relations director.
These five students made calls to recruit and cultivate mentors, helped plan the Startup Showcase, tirelessly supported the student entrepreneurs and helped plan the curriculum for the full-time class coming in the 2018-19 school year.
“As the director of the incubator,” said Mehta, “I learned a lot about leadership and dedication. As a result of this program, [my] leadership has gone beyond helping others and into also empowering and inspiring individuals to achieve their vision. I am excited for the future of the incubator.”
Mehta and the other class members pitched in where needed to help the two entrepreneurs get ready for their next steps. “I helped the entrepreneurs in various ways,” said Mehta. “For one company, I helped with setting up marketing and ad campaigns, finding retailers and setting up the website. For the other company, I helped with recruiting chefs, designing the pitch deck and setting up his MVP (minimum viable product).”
That work was instructive. “It became clear that startups operate at a lightning-fast pace,” said Mehta. “Often, they pivot solutions in the span of days and have to start all over again. Nevertheless, their struggles are all to create the best product, which is what every startup aims to do.”
Chandrashekaran had a similar experience in finding strength as a leader. “I gained leadership experience and a keen outsider’s view of what it takes to succeed in the startup atmosphere,” he said. “Looking at the process through an unbiased lens really helped me see the important aspects of starting a business and growing it. I worked on websites, created ads, connected entrepreneurs to professionals and helped out however they asked me to. It was like I was an early-stage employee of their company.”
He noted that the administrative team had some critical assignments. “The officer team planned the entire two-week program, while acting as support for Mr. Acheatel, and worked to get mentors and contacts to help with the program,” he said.
Pan, the group’s public relations officer, said she gained knowledge that will be invaluable to her in the future. “The class gave me better insight to how real business works,” she said. “This method is much better than just learning content from a book. We helped others and learned how the student entrepreneurs run their businesses. We also improved our skills in event organizing and leading a team.”
Summer Program to Regular Curriculum
The incubator program aimed to teach the students problem solving, said Acheatel. “Entrepreneurship, boiled down to its simplest form, is all about problem solving,” he said. “Invariably, every startup will hit roadblock after roadblock. All successful entrepreneurs have one trait in common: resiliency, a never-give-up attitude and the ability to see problems as opportunities.”
Student entrepreneurs experienced problem solving firsthand by creating products that meet customer needs; business models that deliver value; work environments that attract and retain high-quality employees; partner and investor agreements that provide the equity and sweat equity needed; and highly targeted marketing campaigns that attract target customers, Acheatel noted.
That problem solving emphatically included the officer team who, along with the above named duties, created websites; set up Google Adwords, Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns; and created pitch decks and financial projections along with providing general support, said Acheatel.
“A cool thing about the student officer leadership program is that they are learning many of the same lessons that our student entrepreneurs have learned through their firsthand experience supporting the entrepreneurs, along with learning how to serve their program constituents to ensure their success,” he said.
Acheatel realized early in the summer that the program required more work than could be done effectively in two weeks, so the incubator will become a regular, semester-long course in 2018-19 school year. Students wishing to continue for another semester may do so with teacher approval. That class will host about five student startups, dependent on student interest and the viability of their proposed companies.
“The semester course starting in fall 2018 will include entrepreneurship basics, ideation and product development, intellectual property, market and competitive research, business model development, funding, team building, marketing, operations and finance, in addition to the one-on-one coaching,” said Acheatel. Given the success achieved by the first pair of entrepreneurs, and the knowledge the student officers gained, the class should take the Harker Incubator Program to a new level.
From Concept to Pitch
The Startup Showcase presented an opportunity for the two student entrepreneurs to pitch investors, hoping for encouragement and advice. Kolla and Bhatia each gave detailed presentations explaining their companies’ products and services, including what differentiated them from other businesses in their respective markets. Each of the presentations also included growth plans and projections.
“I think my pitch went well!” exclaimed Kolla. “I was able to convey my brand to the mentors, show them what my goals are and explain where the company will be going in the future.”
Kolla said that for future pitches, she would like to be more interactive, perhaps inviting someone in attendance to unbox one of her packages. Of the feedback she received from the panelists, Kolla said she most appreciated the comments about expanding her company’s product line. “All of my competitors have many more products than I currently have. This puts me at a disadvantage, since there aren’t many options for a customer to buy more than one type of product in their order,” she said. “For example, right now, customers can only purchase bow paperclips. Though they come in different colors and patterns, a customer would be more likely to spend more if there were matching notebooks or pens to go with their clip.”
Bhatia felt that despite a few “rookie mistakes,” he delivered his pitch well. “At my next pitch, I want to slow down a little bit, so I can emphasize certain points rather than glossing over them,” he said. “I guess once you’re in the heat of the pitch, you don’t realize how fast you’re going till you realize that you’ve skipped a few important points.”
After receiving some pointed questions from the panelists, Bhatia decided that he would like to rework certain parts of his plan. “A couple investor judges commented about some chef logistics and that has led me to revise the overall chef vetting and training process, so Xpress Chefs can provide a perfect experience regardless of circumstance,” he said.
“You had everything from boutique to big, bold and dangerous,” said Harker parent John Keller (Devin, grade 10, Haley, grade 12, and Johnathan ’16), a serial entrepreneur and investor who served as an investor judge. “It’s great to see kids at this age already dealing and grappling with real-world questions that some of the judges are firing at them, so I thought it was very impressive.”
Harker alumna Sonya Huang ’10, a private equity professional and another investor judge, found the presentations very thoughtful, which was impressive for less-experienced entrepreneurs. “Working in the industry, you see ad execs pulling millions of dollars that haven’t put that level of thought into it.”
Special to Harker News from Shania Wang, grade 10, Harker DECA director of communications.
Harker DECA attended the first conference of the year, the Silicon Valley LACE (Leadership and Competitive Excellence) Conference, in mid-November. This conference included keynote speakers, event and industry workshops and many opportunities to network with other schools.
As a non-competitive conference, LACE is a great opportunity for underclassmen new to or less experienced with DECA to become more familiar with the organization and increase competitive excellence.
“DECA LACE helps freshmen ease into the DECA atmosphere,” said Rahul Mehta, grade 11, Harker DECA’s director of written events. “It gives them a chance to get a feel for the competitive events as well as learn some handy tips to help them in competition.”
On day one, the officer team hosted a competitive preparation session, giving each student an opportunity to practice an exam, and role-play in their chosen events, with members of the officer team.
The opening ceremony began with an introduction from the Silicon Valley District Action Team (SVDAT), which includes three Harker students: Haley Tran, grade 12, executive vice president; Alisa Su, grade 11, vice president of communications; and Erin Liu, grade 10, vice president of fashion. Keynote speaker Scott Greenberg then shared his message, which included an interactive activity for students to meet new people from other schools.
On Saturday, DECA members heard from keynote speaker Chef Jeff, a former felon who discovered a passion for cooking and became an award-winning chef and best-selling author.
“In general, the motivational speakers really encouraged me to go out there, have a competitive mindset and learn,” Sukrit Ganesh, grade 10, said. “The next time I go to a competition, I’ll be way more focused and dedicated, and I’m really going to put my mind to it and try to win.”
Students attended workshops including Team Decision Making and Marketing Representative and Principles, hosted by Harker DECA’s own Enya Lu, grade 10. Available choices for the second round included Operations Research, Online Events and Professional Selling.
“I really like how they clarified what role-plays were during the teaching sessions,” Adhya Hoskote, grade 9, said. “Before I had an understanding of them, but now everything makes a lot more sense.”
Afterward, everyone listened to two industry workshops, with topics including finance, health care, technology, fashion and entrepreneurship, the last of which was presented by Harker DECA’s advisor Michael Acheatel. The last mandatory event for the day was The DECA Difference in College, which gave students an opportunity to ask DECA alumni about their college experiences and the role DECA had. This session also featured Harker alumni Shannon Hong ’16.
Later that night, Harker DECA attended the ever-popular LACE Fashion Show, which was hosted by Liu and sponsored by Group USA and Men’s Warehouse. Four Harker students participated: all three SVDAT members, along with Bryan Wang, grade 9. Su and Wang were later announced the winners of the show! Afterward, everyone enjoyed the LACE Dance, which featured a live DJ and free pizza.
Sunday morning began with the closing ceremony, including a keynote speech from last year’s California DECA president. The session also consisted of chapter goals, with Harker DECA’s co-CEOs Riya Chandra and Alexis Gauba, both grade 12, sharing Harker DECA’s accomplishments and continued plans for improvement.
Overall, LACE proved to be an awesome experience for all who attended. “I think DECA LACE was a really great opportunity for all the students to come together as a chapter and experience their first DECA conference,” said Gauba. “They were able to gain valuable knowledge through the leadership workshops from students who had previously competed network with students from the other schools.”
Many freshmen, who are all first-year DECA members, especially enjoyed their first taste of a DECA conference while improving competitively and gaining industry knowledge.
“I think that LACE was especially beneficial to our freshmen who got to experience what the conference environment is like,” Acheatel said. “Aside from hearing industry workshops and the benefit of listening to some really interesting speakers, they got a little introduction to what the competitions will be about and how to compete well.”
All the students who attended, from upperclassmen to underclassmen, also appreciated the opportunity to bond as a chapter and form new friendships.
“I think LACE really helped grow my network,” Mahi Kolla, grade 9, said. “I met a lot more people, and I think getting so many more contacts was one of the best and most beneficial parts.”
“LACE really helped create this sense of family amongst the members of DECA,” said Alex Chen, grade 11. “We really got to connect in a way that wasn’t present before.”
Following LACE, Harker DECA is in full preparation for the first competitive conference in January, the Silicon Valley Career Development Conference (SVCDC), and hopes to once again have an amazing DECA season this year.
Harker DECA is an international competitive business organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in four fields of business: marketing, finance, hospitality and management. Our DECA chapter integrates classroom instruction, applies learning, connects to business and promotes competition in order to prepare the next generation to be academically prepared, community oriented, professionally responsible and experienced leaders.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2016 Harker Quarterly.
By Zach Jones and William Cracraft
Business and entrepreneurship (B.E.) and DECA students have been busy! DECA students attended and earned accolades at the International Career Development Conference in April and the State Career Development Conference in March, and a B.E. student won a $20,000 award for managing personal finances in a nationwide contest.
History Made at 2016 ICDC
In late April, 20 students from Harker’s DECA chapter attended the 2016 International Career Development Conference (ICDC) at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tenn., with great results, including a first place win.
“The four-day business conference featured competitions with tough opponents, skill building leadership academies and unforgettable experiences,” said Shania Wang, grade 9, director of communications for Harker DECA.
Two Harker teams finished in the top 20 during preliminary competitions, earning them the chance to compete in the final round. And, for the first time in Harker DECA history, a student from the chapter received first place in a role-play event at ICDC. Enya Lu, grade 9, took top honors in the principles of finance category, while teammates Dolan Dworak, Brandon Mo and Michael Sikand, all grade 10, were finalists in the independent business plan category.
“It was a great opportunity to learn about how business works in a culture like that of Nashville and get feedback from local business owners about how to appeal to a non-Bay Area market,” said Shreyas Chandrashekaran, grade 10, Harker DECA vice president of competitions and strategy and a competitor in the finance operations research category.
Harker advanced two teams to the final round of competitions: Lu and the team of Dworak, Mo and Sikand. Harker DECA members exploded in cheers as Lu was named a top 10 finalist. Within minutes, it was announced that Lu won first place in her event. “It felt amazing,” said Lu. “I was very surprised and I was kind of scared when I went up. I was really excited and I thought that I did well already, but I really wasn’t expecting it. When they announced third and second, I thought that I wouldn’t get it, but then I did, and it was amazing.”
“This year’s ICDC was an amazing experience for students who were able to connect professionally, serve their community, and develop further as future business professionals and emerging leaders,” added Juston Glass, Harker DECA advisor. Read the full story in Harker News: http://wp.me/pOeLQ-7z9.
CardioBand wins at DECA Career Conference
Grade 9 students Natasha Maniar and Kelsey Wu won first place at the DECA State Career Development Conference in March for a product they designed called CardioBand.
“CardioBand is an innovative three-in-one personal medical and fitness device which will revolutionize the way people monitor their heart health,” said Maniar. The proposed device will function as an electrocardiogram, emergency alert and a fitness monitor. Utilizing a Velcro harness and an app, CardioBand would be able to detect irregular heartbeats and prevent deaths related to sudden cardiac failures.
Maniar and Wu recently had their plan reviewed by venture capitalists and financial analysts, and are happy with the feedback they received. “CardioBand is a huge step up,” said Alex Antebi of Connective Capital Management. “It leapfrogs the competition with its continuous monitoring and proactive notification system.” Read the full story in Harker News: http://wp.me/pOeLQ-7CY.
Freshman Entrepreneur Nails Life Finance Challenge
Rithvik Panchapakesan, grade 9, was named an H&R Block Budget Challenge scholarship winner! Panchapakesan won the award for proving himself a personal finance master in the game of “life.”
Students who participated in the challenge were given a virtual job, complete with a 401(k), credit card bills and student loans. They then had to successfully manage their paychecks for 10 weeks. Panchapakesan competed with thousands of students nationwide and was one of only 22 to receive the $20,000 scholarship.
“The most challenging part of the budget challenge was managing my credit card utilization rate,” said Panchapakesan. “I think this challenge will help me manage my money in life because it brought the different issues of money management to my attention.” Read the full story in Harker News.
Grade 9 students Natasha Maniar and Kelsey Wu won first place at the DECA State Career Development Conference in March for a product they designed called CardioBand. “CardioBand is an innovative three-in-one personal medical and fitness device which will revolutionize the way people monitor their heart health,” said Maniar. The proposed device will function as an electrocardiogram, emergency alert and a fitness monitor. Utilizing a Velcro harness and an app, CardioBand would be able to detect irregular heartbeats and prevent deaths related to sudden cardiac failures.
The students drafted a five-page plan that includes a marketing and sales strategy. They also conducted a survey of potential customers to learn more about what features they would like, preferred colors, a possible price point and when they would be most likely to wear the device.
Maniar and Wu recently had their plan reviewed by venture capitalists and financial analysts, and are happy with the feedback they received. “CardioBand is a huge step up,” said Alex Antebi of Connective Capital Management. “It leap-frogs the competition with its continuous monitoring and proactive notification system. I believe CardioBand is a best-in-class biometrics service.”
“We looked into FDA regulations and what similar companies in the wearables space, like Kardia and Qardio, had gone through to decide the time it would take us to introduce CardioBand in the market,” Maniar said, adding that research also has been done on target markets, creating “a more detailed and accurate analysis of each potential demographic of customers comparing it to other health wearable device companies such as Fitbit to defend our plan.”