This post was provided by News Now Warsaw
News Release
WINONA LAKE — Student entrepreneurs will take center stage on April 16 at the third annual Kosciusko Student Venture Challenge in Winona Lake.
The 2026 Student Showcase will be from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center at Grace College and is free to attend.
The event is hosted by the Kosciusko Student Venture Challenge Steering Committee in partnership with Believe in a Dream, Inc.
The Kosciusko Student Venture Challenge (KSVC) program now includes all local high schools, adding Triton Jr.-Sr. High School this year.
Partnering with KSVC has been a tremendous opportunity for Triton and its students, according to Joel Grindle, Triton Jr-Sr. High School Business Teacher.
“We have been able to connect our students with community members and entrepreneurs in order to help them build real-life businesses. It has been a tremendous experience for our students to learn and launch functional businesses in our community. KSVC has allowed our students to take their business Ideas and turn them into a reality,” Grindle said.
The program, originally co-founded with regional entrepreneurship expert Steve Franks, has transitioned to local leadership.
Student programming is now facilitated by teacher-coaches Scott Greene of Warsaw and Aaron Engbrecht of Tippecanoe Valley, and they’ve been working with students from Lakeland Christian Academy, Tippecanoe Valley, Warsaw, Wawasee, Whitko and Triton high schools.
“Over the past several months, these students have shown an incredible level of dedication, creativity, and perseverance,” said Kosciusko County Coordinator and program co-founder Amy Roe.
“They’ve spent countless hours developing their ideas, learning the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, and working through the challenges that come with building a business concept from the ground up. We invite community members to come out, see what these students have accomplished, and show their support as the next generation of entrepreneurs take the stage,” Roe said.
The goal of the program is to grow and strengthen the local entrepreneurial ecosystem by introducing high school students to an entrepreneurial mindset and foundational business principles.
The program covers topics such as initial business idea development, elevator pitches, prototyping, marketing and lead generation, financial goals and more.
“From my perspective, KSVC creates a powerful bridge between the classroom and the real world. While I teach digital media, the Student Venture Bootcamps bring together students from across the school who have ideas they want to explore and develop. Programs like this help students realize they don’t have to wait until after graduation to start building something that matters,” said Warsaw teacher, coach and co-facilitator, Scott Greene.
Visitors are welcome to come and go throughout the evening on April 16.
The schedule of events includes:
- 5 p.m. — Enjoy appetizers on us while meeting new friends and learning more about the program.
- 5:15 pm. — 5:30 p.m. – Welcome, Amy A. Roe, Kosciusko Community Coordinator, and Scott Greene, Warsaw Teacher Coach and Co-Facilitator
- 5:30 p.m. — 7:30 p.m. – Visit student business booths “expo” style. Peruse the rows of student businesses. You may even find something you can’t live without!
- 8:00 p.m. — Awards
- 8:45 p.m. — Closing remarks
While the event is free to attend, attendees should RSVP via the link below by Thursday, April 2, by clicking here.
Sponsors include: HELP Kosciusko, Believe in a Dream, Glaze Foundation and Don Wood Foundation as Lead Sponsors; Dekko Foundation, Gold Sponsor; Award Sponsor, Core Mechanical; and Supporting Sponsors, Grace College, KEDCO, Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce, Lakeland Christian Academy, Orthoworx, Plug & Play Kosciusko, Split Road Media, Tippecanoe Valley High School, Triton Jr.-Sr. High School, Whitko High School, Warsaw Community High School, and Wawasee High School.
Look for more updates on the Kosciusko Student Venture Challenge and opportunities to support the program in the future.
