Madison High Students pitch bold business ideas for $5,000 prize
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REXBURG — Invest Nest is quickly becoming a cornerstone for young innovators in Rexburg. It gives students the chance to pitch business ideas to a panel of judges and access local mentors. On Wednesday night, the Round 3 winner will walk away with $5,000 to launch or grow their venture and earn a shot at competing in Utah for an even bigger prize: $20,000.
Business ideas ranged from AI tools for dyslexic readers to lawn care companies to new clothing brands, all created by Madison High School students competing in this year’s Invest Nest competition.
Jennifer Barzee, a business teacher at Madison High School, started the program last year by organizing a competition similar to the TV show Shark Tank. This year, the contest grew even bigger after Justin Ellingford introduced her to the Invest Nest program, originally launched in Utah.
“I have a technical advisory committee, and last year they suggested that a contest like this would raise awareness among students — it was the number one idea, and we just ran with it,” Barzee said. “They donated $1,000 that night for prizes. This year, we’ve raised so much more and hope to have even more prize money next year.”
The competition kicked off with the Elevator Pitch, where 28 students presented ideas to successful local entrepreneurs who volunteered their time to mentor and judge. Students then spent several weeks refining their pitches before presenting a polished two- to three-minute business pitch. The top 10 were invited to compete in Wednesday night’s public Round 3 event.
Mack Wible, owner of Textile Graphix and a program mentor, said he was surprised by the creativity and drive of students.
“I had three students reach out to me — two girls and a boy — and they all had great, great ideas,” Wible said. “We met and discussed their business concepts, how to pitch, what to say and not say. It was cool to meet these kids and see that there’s still some smart ones out there.”
One sophomore pitched his vision for a clothing line, and while Wible knows the apparel business is tough, he admired the ambition.
“I didn’t realize he was only a sophomore at first,” Wible said. “When I found out, it all made sense — he’s young, but he’s already thinking like an entrepreneur.”
Many students, like Colton Munns, are already operating real businesses. Munns runs Young Buck Lawn Care and hopes to double last year’s $15,000 revenue and expand to a second crew this summer.
“I feel like I presented myself very well,” Munns said. “The judges were impressed. And that $5,000 prize — that would go a long way.”
For others, Invest Nest offers a chance to test an idea and learn by doing. One student pitched a digital platform to help dyslexic children read aloud and improve pronunciation through interactive, age-appropriate stories.
“It’ll go and listen to you,” James Tedjamulia explained. “If you hit a word you can’t pronounce, it’ll help you sound it out. And the books it recommends match your age and interests, even if your reading level is lower.”
A standout feature of this year’s Invest Nest was the strong showing from young women entrepreneurs. Roughly half of the participants were girls, an encouraging shift in a male-dominated field.
“It’s been awesome to see that kind of participation,” Wible said. “The girls I worked with came prepared, had thought through their business models, and really knew what they were talking about.”
Andrew Rail, co-founder of Assist Care and a lead event sponsor, also noticed the same trend.
“It seems like about half of them have been young women, which is just fantastic,” Rail said. “There’s a rising generation of entrepreneurs here, and it’s not just boys. That’s exciting. These students are doing something outside of their comfort zone, and that’s not something you see a lot these days.”
After hearing about it from another mentor, Rail and his wife decided to sponsor the event.
“We didn’t want to just write a check,” Rail said. “We wanted to see where it was going. And we’ve been blown away.”
Wible said the real value of Invest Nest goes beyond prize money.
“It provokes creativity,” Wible said. “It sets them up for success and helps them realize there are so many ways to make money—through products, services, innovations. The sooner they start, the better.”
Barzee couldn’t agree more. She’s passionate about business and devoted to helping her students believe in their ideas.
“The biggest thing is motivating students to follow their dreams and showing them there’s a support system for that,” Barzee said.
The third round of Invest Nest will be held Wednesday night at the Madison Performing Arts Center. A meet-and-greet with the students starts at 6 p.m., followed by a performance from Madison’s elite singing group, Vocal Spectrum, at 6:30 p.m. The student presentations will begin at 7 p.m.
The event is open to the public and will feature a panel of judges selecting the winner. Audience members will also have the opportunity to vote for their favorite pitch, with those votes factored into the final decision.