Students in Peoria are emerging as serious entrepreneurs with ventures winning funding competitions and garnering international media coverage. The first thing you think of when you hear the word “entrepreneur” may not be middle school, high school, or even college students, but that is precisely who these West Valley entrepreneurs are. Avi Agarwal, Sylvia Lopez, and brothers Hurshneet and Pravneet Chadha have transformed the entrepreneurial world with their life-changing ideas, at their young ages, showing that age is no barrier to being a successful entrepreneur.
Who are these young entrepreneurs?
Avi Agarwal is a high school sophomore who has transformed his community through his passion for baking and sustainability. He founded Avi’s Sweet Treats, a venture that bakes and sells cupcakes, but donates 100% of its profits to local community organizations like the Peoria Education Foundation and St. Mary’s Food Bank. Avi has also pioneered a proprietary method for manufacturing his edible cupcake liners to maximize the amount of good he can do for the world. He has been featured in various news publications from newspapers to radio stations and everything in between.
Sylvia Lopez, a current ASU student, and former Peoria MET student, and her co-founder Brinlee Kidd make students’ lives easier with their note-taking app, Jotted. Like any good entrepreneur, they saw a need and pursued it. Jotted allows students to upload their digital notes or upload digital text, which will be automatically organized into folders by class. It even turns notes into flashcards! This entrepreneurial duo won funding from the global Red Bull Basement challenge for college students to advance technology ideas. Nothing is slowing them down.
The Chadha brothers, Hurshneet and Pravneet, were sitting around the dinner table during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when they were faced with a conversation about the isolation of patients during the lockdown. They wanted to make a difference, so they started Project Smile AZ. The goal is to spread smiles with simple acts of kindness that anyone can do. Project Smile AZ is now a charitable organization benefiting hospitalized patients, homeless people, cancer patients, Veterans, and anyone else in need. They’ve picked up media coverage from local news channels, The Washington Post, and CNN. These brothers have shown that people of any age can be entrepreneurial change-makers.
Ready to be the next Avi, Sylvia, Hurshneet, or Pravneet?
These young West Valley entrepreneurs have paved the way for more youth entrepreneurs ready to follow in their footsteps. Edson E + I is a great place to start if you know a young entrepreneur with an idea and motivation to change the world. Encourage them to just start! Check out E+I’s Training and Development resource page to learn more and reach out to the Peoria Forward team for help and guidance to kick off any venture.
To learn more about the ventures mentioned above, check out their websites at:
