2025 - SofYE Summer Experience Students Outpitch The Padres!

Fourteen different Middle Schools were represented at The SofYE Summer Experience, including for the first time, students from The Old Town Academy and The Preuss School at UCSD. Our new panel & mentor format drew wonderful entrepreneurs, including start-up founder Kanna Ecklund of SAICHI, winner of StartUp San Diego’s lightweight pitch contest in October, and EyePop.AI and GoFundMe Founder, Andy Ballester. Hosted at our HQ a block from Sunset Cliffs, UCSD’s The Basement, and SDSU’s ZIP launchpad, returning veteran students joined new faces as they were guided from ideation, through development, to the big finale Shark Tank-style pitches, and both the parents and panel judges were impressed! “I was blown away with not just the complexity of the ideas for products these young men and women put together, but also their confidence with which they presented them!"  Mike Casler- District Manager Insperity

New supporters of SofYE included Jimbo’s Naturally, who generously supplied all of the snacks for our hungry teens, and Plant Power Fast Food, who provided a healthy and tasty vegan lunch when we were on campus at SDSU. A big shout-out to Ki’s School Lunch, who helped power students through a fast-paced two weeks. Highlights included Promo Drone’s Jamar Williams flying a massive drone over UCSD’s new Triton Ballpark, which wowed our students and made his entrepreneurship story even more interesting. Cassia Rizq introduced students to brain-computer interface (BCI) technology and our students also provided her with valuable data to help launch her BCI Buddy start up business. Perhaps most well-known for his development of the NFL robot graphic, Reality Check Systems CEO Andrew Heimbold brought one of his 14 Emmy Awards in, which was a big thrill for everyone to see. Field trips included bowling at Aztec Lanes, The Birch Aquarium, Sunset Cliffs tide pools just down-the-street, and of course… the beach!  Many thanks to SofYE fans who sponsored underserved students to attend, and continue to sponsor them as they participate in our year-round Serve, Learn, and Earn initiative. Thank you SofYE friends for making this all possible!