Elijah Robinson, like so many teenagers, is still weighing options for his career goals after schooling.
As a rising junior at Bard High School Early College, Elijah told The Informer the biggest dilemma he faces is whether he wants to be on the track team. However, a mentor told him about a program that has widened his worldview.
“I really didn’t have anything to do outside of the house so one of my instructors told me about the Youth Entrepreneur Institute (YEI) that teaches people how to run a business,” said Elijah, 16. “After looking into it, I decided to do this.”
Elijah was one of eight semifinalists in KidBizCON 2025, a “Shark Tank”-like competition that took place at Bard gymnasium on July 25.
With an audience of 300 youth observing the competition, Elijah and his competitors pitched their businesses to a panel of judges who are practicing professionals in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
While many teens like Elijah are working just to get through school, entrepreneurship is becoming seemingly more attractive to people in his age group.
According to a March 1, 2022, survey from Junior Achievement USA, a business education nonprofit, nearly 60% of teenagers are more interested in starting their own business someday instead of working a traditional job. Plus, the survey reported 45% of teenagers want to learn the ropes from current business owners and 37% would be interested in entrepreneurship programs during or after school.
Tacharna Crump, YEI founder and CEO, said the survey results mirror what she sees in the young people who reside in the District’s Wards 7 and 8.
“Our youth already have the creativity, ideas and passion,” said Crump, 36. “What they need is access—to opportunity, to mentors, to tools that make their dreams real. We’re not just teaching business—we’re building ecosystems. East of the River is full of untapped brilliance, and we’re here to grow the economy by investing in the brilliance of our kids.”
KidBizCON 2025-Shark Tank Style
While it was a very supportive environment, the heat was on during KidBizCON 2025.
One competitor got emotional during her presentation and stopped speaking. Observing the teen entrepreneur’s tears, Ward 8 D.C. State Board of Education member LaJoy Johnson-Law, a judge, immediately jumped to her defense.
“It is not easy to get in front of a bunch of people and talk,” Johnson said to applause from the audience. “It’s hard to put yourself out there. We should encourage her.”
The audience watched each competitor, engaged in their presentations as each competitor explained their SWOT analysis.
Showcasing his fragrance business, Elijah was the fifth contestant out of the eight to stand on the gymnasium stage beside a large white poster board to make his presentation to the judges.
The “S” stands for strengths or what is the best aspect of the business; “W” means weakness, areas that are not the strongest; “O” stands for opportunities to grow and improve the business; and “T” means threats such as competitors or an adverse environment to operate in.
Elijah explained his SWOT analysis and answered questions by the judges about his business calmly and with good eye contact.
“We offer skin-friendly scents,” Elijah said. “A lot of times, scents may make you smell good, but they are not good for your skin.”
When the contestants were not presenting to the judges, they were speaking about and selling their products to customers.
After the competition, most attendees participated in business and financial literacy workshops located throughout the school, while a few attended a motivational session in the gymnasium.
Brandon Andrews, a serial entrepreneur in the District and a casting consultant on the “Shark Tank” (2009-Present), served as one of the judges, noting he enjoyed the presentations of the young entrepreneurs and supported the work of the Young Entrepreneurs Institute.
“The presentations were clearly pitched and detailed,” Andrews, 37, said. “The contestants knew their numbers and that is always important in business. That will help their businesses grow. These young people are fortunate to have this type of program because when I was their age, I didn’t have anything like this to learn about business.”