Students Participate in Entrepreneurial Competition at Goldman Sachs

On Monday, May 19th, eight Yeshivah of Flatbush High School Juniors ventured into the World Headquarters of Goldman Sachs, the prestigious financial services firm, in downtown Manhattan. The students came equipped with iPads and presentation materials, ready to present business plans to a triumvirate of judges who would evaluate them. Student plans included an app marketing firm, a laundry service tailored for college campuses, a trivia app, and a biometric replacement for credit cards. In the state-of-the-art boardroom, each set of students pitched business plans with aid of PowerPoint and other tools.

The excursion to Goldman Sachs was the culmination of a year-long project and inspired by student leader Sol Betesh. Students were encouraged to devise an innovative product or service and then do the painstaking work of developing a business plan for the purpose of presenting to potential investors. Students were also challenged to hone on their presentation skills as they had to create PowerPoint presentations and then pitch them in front of judges.

The judges had vast experience in business evaluation, including stints at world leaders such as McKinsey & Co, Bloomberg, Skadden Arps, Procter & Gamble and Goldman Sachs. After each presentation, the judges probed the students with deep questions leading to discussion as to how to improve upon each plan. The students came away enriched by this serious, high-level discussion with savvy businessmen. In the end, TriviAd, the brainchild of Jacob Chetrit and Saul Esses took best Business Plan and App Rising, by Steven Hakim and Robert Harary, won Best Presentation.

Special thanks to alumnus Sam Franco (HS '04) of Goldman Sachs and Rabbi Joseph Beyda for arranging this great experience for our students.