200+ Gather as Young Innovators Pitch Ideas at InnovateATL Startup Competition Led By Forsyth County High School Seniors

Cumming, Atlanta, Georgia: A group of high school seniors from Denmark High School, South Forsyth High School, West Forsyth High School, Alliance Academy for Innovation, and Northview High School recently brought together more than 200 students, mentors, judges, and community members for InnovateATL, a student-led startup entrepreneurship competition designed to give young founders the opportunity to turn ideas into real startups.

InnovateATL was founded and organized by Sarosh Doddaka, Siddarth Puchakayulu, Soumith Kondamadugula, Saicharan Chowdarapu, Naresh Rajesh, Abhiram Thummalapali, Tanish Jampala, and Rex Zhang, a group of students who came together from schools across Forsyth County and the greater Atlanta area around a shared interest in entrepreneurship and innovation.

The event, held at at West Forsyth high school on September 20, brought together more than 70 teams for a full-day startup sprint. Students were challenged to identify a problem, develop a viable business around it, and ultimately pitch their ideas to professionals from Atlanta’s entrepreneurship, technology, and investment communities.

Throughout the day, competitors developed the core pieces of their startups, including their product, go-to-market strategy, financial model, competitive advantage, and pitch. Teams then presented during preliminary judging rounds, with the strongest advancing to a final round later in the day.

The competition concluded with Vishnu Konga, Rishabh Kumar, Anant Verma, and Adhyant Raju taking first place. The winning team received $500 and VIP access to Georgia Tech CREATE-X’s Demo Day, giving the students an opportunity to further experience Atlanta’s startup ecosystem.

More than $1,000 in prizes and opportunities were awarded across the event, with additional prizes going to the second- and third-place teams and winners of smaller challenges held throughout the competition. What made InnovateATL especially unique was that the initiative itself was built and operated by high school students.

The senior organizers spent months developing the competition from the ground up. Their work included recruiting competitors, securing a venue and funding, coordinating judges and partners, developing the competition format, managing event logistics, and connecting students with members of Atlanta’s startup ecosystem.

The initiative received support from organizations and professionals connected to Georgia Tech CREATE-X, Georgia Tech CEISMC, Engage, Tech Square Ventures, and other members of Atlanta’s entrepreneurship community.

For the students behind InnovateATL, the goal was larger than hosting a single competition. They wanted to create the type of opportunity they felt was often missing for high school students interested in entrepreneurship.

While students can learn about business through classes and school organizations, opportunities to actually build an idea under pressure, pitch it to experienced professionals, receive direct feedback, and meet other students interested in entrepreneurship are much less common. InnovateATL was designed to help bridge that gap.

The event also demonstrated what students from different schools can accomplish by working together. Seniors from Denmark, South Forsyth, West Forsyth, Alliance Academy, and Northview collaborated across school boundaries to create an event serving young entrepreneurs from throughout the region.

Following the success of the competition, the InnovateATL team plans to continue expanding its programming through future startup competitions, smaller invitational events, and initiatives designed to introduce younger students to entrepreneurship.

For its organizers, InnovateATL represents a broader goal: building a stronger community of young founders in Atlanta, Georgia, and giving students the network, resources, and experience to take their ideas beyond the classrooms in schools.

Sponsors
Georgia Tech CREATE-X
Tech Square Ventures
Georgia Tech CEISMC
Equinox Academy
Redline Ventures
Scannit
Microsoft
MedRoi
TechGPS