The Lansing Center was a sea of local students and their business ideas on Wednesday. It was all apart of the 4th annual Lansing Youth Startup Expo.
Nearly 300 young entrepreneurs pitched their creative ideas to the public. There were more than 25 different award categories and more than $10,000 in prize money up for grabs. One of the event's organizers tells us the event helps prepare students for the business world.
"The skills that they learn here - the critical thinking, business plans, reviews, the financial forecasting - all that goes with having a better business. And probably the most important is it helps them build confidence, because they actually get to showcase their idea to a group of adults. They can have pride in and have confidence in that conversation," said Tony Willis of Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP).
270 students from Ingham, Eaton and Clinton counties made up 140 teams on Wednesday. There were only 40 students total at the first Lansing Youth Startup Expo back in 2013.
