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CBA and Ashoka Announce 2013 'Banking On Youth' Competition Finalists

America's Banks Supporting Young Entrepreneurs

CBA and Ashoka Announce 2013 'Banking On Youth' Competition Finalists

America's Banks Supporting Young Entrepreneurs

Published 04-29-13

Submitted by Ashoka: Innovators for the Public

The Consumer Bankers Association (CBA) Foundation, sponsoring CBA member banks from across the country and Ashoka’s Youth Venture are pleased to announce the “Banking on Youth” competition finalists.

Banking on Youth invites young people between the ages of 13 and 20 to share their ideas for entrepreneurial ventures that are sustainable and directly benefit society. More than 200 entries were received this year and are available at www.bankingonyouth.org. The six national finalists chosen by the CBA Foundation and Ashoka’s Youth Venture are:

  • Ecoviate, Param Jagggi, IL
  • Everybody Dance Now! Jackie Rodman, CA
  • Moneythink, Ryan Charnov MO
  • St. Louis MetroMarket, Tej Azad, MO
  • TGIF-Turn Grease Into Fuel, Jason Perino, RI
  • VolunTEENnation.org, Simon Bernstein, MO

Each of these top entrants will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to compete in a “pitch-off” at the Ashoka Future Forum (www.ashokafutureforum.com) on May 30, 2013. Finalists will compete for the Audience Choice Award of $5,000 and the Grand Prize of $15,000. The Pitch-off is proudly sponsored by US Bank. PNC Bank is sponsoring a “Hill Day” for the finalists to visit with their Congressional representatives. These young entrepreneurs will also have the opportunity to receive training and mentorship from Youth Venture staff.

The Competition is made possible by the generous support of CBA member banks who are committed to identifying and funding the next generation of America’s business leaders. In addition to the six finalists, 29 regional winners were selected by the program’s sponsoring banks: Bank of America (5 prizes), First Niagara Bank (5 prizes), Union Bank (4 prizes), Wells Fargo (3 prizes), Citi (3 prizes), 1st Financial Bank, (2 prizes), PNC (2 prizes), RBS Citizens Financial (2 prizes), BB&T (1 prize), IBERIABANK (1 prize), and M&T Bank (1 prize). Each regional winner will receive $1,000 in “seed-money” for their venture.

“CBA is excited to announce our second year of Banking on Youth award winners and happy to connect these promising entrepreneurs with banks who can help make their dreams a reality,” said Richard Hunt, President and CEO of the Consumer Bankers Association. “The retail banking industry’s commitment to small business lending and community investment is evident year-round and we are honored to partner with them through this program.”

“It is clear to see the difference our partner banks can make by seeding the ingenuity and initiative of these young people,” said Gretchen Zucker, Executive Director of Ashoka’s Youth Venture. “Each of these innovative ventures will touch the lives of hundreds of people, if not thousands, while equipping the youth with the changemaker skills they need for success in school, work and life.”

A full listing of the 29 regional winners, along with their videos and the videos of the six finalists is available here. For further information about the competition visit www.bankingonyouth.org.

About CBA
The Consumer Bankers Association (CBA) is the trade association for today's leaders in retail banking - banking services geared toward consumers and small businesses. The nation's largest financial institutions, as well as many regional banks, are CBA corporate members, collectively holding two-thirds of the industry's total assets. CBA’s mission is to preserve and promote the retail banking industry as it strives to fulfill the financial needs of the American consumer and small business.

For more information, please contact Deirdre Leahy, 202-552-6371, dleahy@cbanet.org or visit www.cbanet.org.

About Ashoka
Ashoka is the global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs and the pioneer of the social entrepreneurship movement. Ashoka has a 30-year history of finding and launching the top innovations that address the world’s needs. We believe that the greatest contribution we can make to the world is to increase dramatically the number of changemakers today and in every future generation. This is the key factor for success in every part of society, from a school to a company to an entire country. Ashoka operates in 65 countries and online at www.ashoka.org.

About Ashoka’s Youth Venture
Youth Venture is an international network of 100,000 changemakers. We inspire and support young people to be changemakers by launching and leading their own civic-minded organizations and businesses, and we help communities around the world realize their potential as communities of changemakers. YV operates in 19 countries and online at www.youthventure.org.

Ashoka: Innovators for the Public logo

Ashoka: Innovators for the Public

Ashoka: Innovators for the Public

Ashoka is the global association of the world's leading social entrepreneurs - men and women with system changing solutions for the world's most urgent social problems. Since 1981, Ashoka has elected over 3000 leading social entrepreneurs as Ashoka Fellows, providing them with living stipends, professional support, and access to a global network of peers in more than 70 countries. Working with these social entrepreneurs, Ashoka builds communities of innovators who work collectively to transform society and design new ways for the citizen sector to become more productive, entrepreneurial and globally integrated. For more information, please visit www.ashoka.org.

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