April 22, 2025
Out of 40 finalist teams, ten were given top honors and awarded cash prizes for their innovative and entrepreneurial ideas.
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS April 22, 2025 – The McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship hosted its fifth annual Texas High School Ideas Challenge April 17, with competitive presentations and the Crowd Fund Showcase and Awards Reception held at the Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center. Open to high school students across the state of Texas, the challenge, designed to encourage students to explore entrepreneurship and foster development of an entrepreneurial mindset, awarded $13,000 in cash prizes to the top ideas.
The top idea and first place prize went to SK-EAT and four seniors who attend Alamo Height Heights High School in San Antonio. SK-EAT has developed a trap target made from a mixture similar to cattle feed, that, once shot, can be consumed by cattle or absorbed into the soil, as opposed to leaving behind traditional clay pigeons which include toxic cold tar pitch.
Jack S., chief executive officer of SK-EAT, shared the inspiration for SK-EAT came from his first-hand witnessing of the litter of orange clay shards on his family’s ranch following a round of skeet shooting.
“[In addition to the physical remnants], further research showed traditional clay pigeons increase soil acidity, reduce the growth of vegetation, and overall impact the environment in several negative ways. And it made me think ‘How can we make it better?’”
Chief financial officer Wesley N., who will be attending Texas A&M as a freshman this fall, spoke to why the team chose to enter the challenge.
“We know the Aggie Network is strong,” he said, “and we knew there would be an opportunity to become a part of that and to tap into that to a certain degree. We are fortunate to have won the money, but frankly, it was never about the money. It was about the skills we were equipped with along the way.”
Drake R., chief operating officer, added, “We have a lot of confidence in our idea already. But to have won and from what the judges have told us today, it just gives us more confidence knowing we have support for our idea going forward and to keep improving every day, hopefully get into retail soon, and keep producing. The confidence we gain from competitions like this is the biggest [benefit].”
Bricen O., chief technology officer, noted that while the competition is helping to get their name out, the $2,500 in prize winnings will help speed up production by assisting with shipping and packing expenses.
Samuel Kotch ’20, owner of S.O.S. Cotton Candy, served as both a challenge judge and a prize sponsor, sponsoring the $1,000 third place “Crowd Fund” award, which was awarded to AidSphere from Emerson High School.
“As a business owner, it can be tough, but we’ve had a great year, so we wanted to support the next generation. I decided to sponsor and come out to judge for the first time, and it was awesome. I think I got more out of it than they did.”
Kotch was impressed by the student teams he saw while judging.
“… how professional, how prepared, how smart they are,” he remarked. “These kids are miles ahead of where I was in high school. [I was] just really impressed by all the ideas, and the willingness and boldness to come present to a room of strangers is really awesome.”
Following presentations to the judges earlier in the day, finalist teams were asked to display their idea, with visual aides and product demos, when available, at the Crowd Fund Showcase. Showcase guests were invited to visit each idea, hear their pitches and “invest” in their favorite ideas with “McFerrin Money” which determined the people’s choice, or “Crowd Fund,” awards.
With a program record for “investments” received at the Showcase, Doze Apparel, led by four student athletes from Samuel V. Champion High School in Boerne, was awarded $1,500 and the honor as the guest favorite.
Brooks W. shared that as student athletes, they’d all experienced the discomfort in traveling to and from away games and became determined to find a solution. That solution combines a traditional hoodie with an interior inflatable fabric component that serves as a pillow, along with hot and cold temperature packs that can be placed on pressure points to maintain the user’s desired temperature.
As to what it means to have the vote of confidence from the guests, Catalina M. said, “A lot of people relate to our issue and feel what we’re feeling. They want to see [the issue] improve and see us go through with this product.”
The team plans to use their prize money to begin pursuing a patent for their product.
“Now in its fifth year, this challenge continues to identify and showcase some of the most entrepreneurially-minded high school students from across the state,” said Blake Petty ’98, executive director of the McFerrin Center. “Each year we say we’ve seen the best of the best, and each year, these students continue to raise the bar and raise our expectations for this next generation of entrepreneurs.”
“With ideas aiming to solve problems across a variety of industries and passions, they’ve proven they have a mindset and ambition that sets them apart,” he continued. “Getting a front row seat to their ingenuity and introducing them to Texas A&M and its rich entrepreneurial ecosystem are highlights of the challenge and guideposts for planning what’s to come.”
Texas high school students were invited to apply beginning in late 2024, submitting their idea as a team or individual, via a compelling application demonstrating creative, careful and methodical planning. Following a screening process, a total of 40 finalist teams, composed of more than 120 students from 22 high schools in 16 Texas cities, were selected as finalists and invited to compete in person on the campus of Texas A&M.
Throughout the day, each team presented their idea twice, each time to a different panel of judges. The presentations consisted of a 5-minute pitch of the idea, followed by a 5-minute “Q&A” with the panel. Judges, selected from the McFerrin Center’s network of mentors, successful entrepreneurs and Texas A&M faculty and staff, were looking for competitors who have an outstanding idea and clearly indicate that their idea creates value, can defend their idea against other ideas in the competition, and demonstrate to the judges that the idea is viable in the marketplace with clear evidence that the idea is attractive to a customer. Ideas were scored based on idea uniqueness, target market, competitive advantage, resources, goals and presentation content.
Wesley N. of SK-EAT added his advice for other high school students who may be considering applying in the future.
“Sign up for it. It’s not about the money, but you’re meeting a lot of people. You’re getting advice from people who specialize in areas that you may not even know you needed within your company. It’s bringing a lot of people together, and in business, sometimes it’s about who you know,” he said. “When you’re trying to do something, you can’t do it alone. You can’t do it with just four guys. You have to get a good idea of the people around you and where your market is. Get good criticism. Get feedback. And also get praise for what you’re doing.”
The McFerrin Center is currently planning its 2026 event, with applications opening Dec. 1, 2025. Updates and more information will be available at tx.ag/TexasHSIdeasChallenge.
2025 Texas High School Ideas Challenge Photos
2025 Texas High School Ideas Challenge Winners & Sponsors
Top Idea Winners
- 1st Place [$2,500]: SK-EAT | Alamo Heights HS | San Antonio
- 2nd Place [$2,000]: StudyGenie | Liberty HS | Frisco
- 3rd Place [$1,750]: LeafLink Plant Care | Emerson HS | McKinney
- Honorable Mention [$750 – sponsored by Shallow Sport Boats]: Power Paddle | Clements HS & Elkins HS | Sugar Land & Missouri City
- Honorable Mention [$750 – sponsored by Homer Gonzalez ’78]: Solace by Acecycle | Centennial HS | Frisco
- Honorable Mention [$750]: LittleHaven | Liberal Arts and Science Academy | Austin
- Honorable Mention [$750]: NeuroNest | The Hockaday School | Dallas
The Crowd Fund Winners
- 1st Place [$1,500]: Doze Apparel | Samuel V. Champion HS | Boerne
- 2nd Place [$1,250]: FinanceU: Gamified Financial Literacy App | Centennial HS | Frisco
- 3rd Place [$1,000 – sponsored by S.O.S. Cotton Candy]: AidSphere | Emerson HS | McKinney
2025 Texas High School Ideas Challenge Prize Sponsors
- S.O.S. Cotton Candy
- Shallow Sport Boats
- Homer Gonzalez ’78
About McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship
The McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship serves as the hub for entrepreneurship at Texas A&M University. The McFerrin Center’s goal is to enhance entrepreneurial education by providing training, networking and assistance to enterprising current students, faculty, veterans and former students.
The McFerrin Center enables the startup and growth of countless businesses and provides competitive opportunities, professional development and financial support to aspiring entrepreneurs in the Aggie community through the support of a robust volunteer mentor network, corporate supporters, faculty and staff.
The McFerrin Center defines entrepreneurship as an attitude that acts on opportunity. In this spirit, the McFerrin Center strives to deliver programs and events that are inspiring, engaging, motivating and life-changing. This philosophy has resulted in the McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship offering more than 30 unique programs each year that positively impact the lives of thousands of students, veterans and other professionals seeking to blaze their own trail as an entrepreneur.
Media Contact: Lara Robertson, communications manager, lrobertson@tamu.edu