Startup Frederick is Frederick’s very own Shark Tank. What is it? It is an entrepreneurial club run at schools across the county, including Oakdale. It offers students who have a unique product or service idea to present that idea to the students of the school, and to members across the community. If they achieve victory in the entire competition, the winning team of 2 or the individual are given a $2,000 scholarship.  

The goal for Startup Frederick is to subject students to what it’s like to be an entrepreneur, what they go through, preparation, and other skills.The competition helps students use skills not often nurtured in the typical classroom. Skills of ingenuity bring ideas together into a cohesive plan, and getting a plan across to other people. It brings creativity and teamwork to an all new level, and presents a challenge that only the best can overcome.

The student has to take questions from a  panel of Frederick business leaders and have to present their idea and business plan in 5 minutes

Ms. Kaelyn Stieg, the Startup Frederick leader for Oakdale, commented, “Well the first big one (challenge for the students) is figuring out how to synthesize all ideas and plans into one concrete idea, then it’s figuring out how to get all of the main information for the product or service out in 5 minutes, with getting the main information out there is also public speaking which is a big hurdle for a certain few to get through.”

Last year Oakdale sent a team of 2 to the finals, Reese Plant and Kara Watts. Watts explained, “It helps with getting used to public speaking because I was not very good at it before I entered the competition.”

She further explained, “[The questions] were about marketing and how we would get the money to start the company, as well as how we would branch out and advertise the company”.

If you’re interested in being in Startup Frederick business go ahead and go to Ms.Steig to join; maybe you can make it and win.