City Students Square Off in NFTE Philadelphia's First Annual Citywide Youth Business Plan Competition

Students from Philadelphia and Camden, N.J., public high schools will flex their entrepreneurial muscles at The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Philadelphia’s First Annual Citywide Youth Business Plan Competition, to be held May 29 at the Temple University Student Center, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Over the past year, nearly 500 students from eight NFTE partner schools have learned basic business concepts and developed business plans. Now one competitor from each NFTE partner school is eligible to present their business plan before a panel of seven judges. The student who delivers the best business pitch will win a laptop and a $1,500 venture capital grant; and the top two winners will move on to compete in NFTE’s National Business Plan Competition in New York City this fall. "This competition culminates a year of hard work by NFTE students,” says Peter J. Boni, President and CEO of Safeguard Scientifics and co-Chairman of the NFTE Philadelphia Advisory Board. "While only one student will take home the $1,500 prize, all of these students are winners. The skills they gained through the NFTE program will help them reach their full academic and personal potential, and rise above neighborhood pressure and societal limitations. This competition will showcase the next generation of business leaders, who will surely contribute to the economic vitality of the Greater Philadelphia area.” Schools that will be participating in the NFTE Philadelphia competition include Dobbins Career & Technical Education High School and George Washington High School, both located in Philadelphia, and Woodrow Wilson High School in Camden. Each student will have eight minutes to present their original business plan to a panel of seven judges. The judges will then ask each student a series of questions about their plan during a five minute session. Serving as judges are Judy Spires, CEO of Acme; Melinda Emerson, President of Quintessence Multimedia; Regine Metellus, CFO and VP of Operations of the Urban League of Philadelphia; Tara Weiner, Managing Partner of Deloitte Philadelphia; Terry Hicks, Vice President of Ben Franklin Technology Partners Investment Group; Kimberle Levin, President & CEO of Teknuko; and Kenyon Hayward, CEO of Redlasso. In addition, Pat Croce, author, entrepreneur and former president of the Philadelphia 76ers is also participating by awarding the grand prize winner a business coaching session at his/her school. Over 100 students, teachers, NFTE Philadelphia Advisory Board members, parents, program partners, sponsors, and volunteers will support the competitors at the Temple University Student Center when they present their business plans. The competition is sure to be fierce, as students contend for laptops and the first place prize of $1,500, second place award of $1,000, and a third place bounty of $500. "We’re bringing inner city students and the Philadelphia business community together, and building a brighter future for both in the process,” says Lori Perlow, NFTE Philadelphia Program Director. "Our vision is for every student to create their own path to prosperity. This competition lets our best and brightest take the first steps into a competitive business world and unleash the power of entrepreneurship in their lives.” For more information about the NFTE or the Philadelphia Youth Business Plan Competition, please contact Katie Miller at Katie@GregoryFCA.com or 610-228-2124. To find out how you can donate time or money to the NFTE Philadelphia program office please contact Lori Perlow at 215-204-5769 or Lori.Perlow@NFTE.com. About National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) provides entrepreneurship education programs to young people from low-income communities. Our goal is to empower young people, many of whom struggle in school, to change their lives through entrepreneurship education. Since 1987 NFTE has reached over 186,000 young people and trained more than 4,200 Certified Entrepreneurship teachers. NFTE currently has programs in 21 states and 13 countries. www.nfte.com About Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. Founded in 1953 and based in Wayne, PA, Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. (NYSE:SFE) provides growth capital for entrepreneurial and innovative technology and life sciences companies. Safeguard targets technology companies in Software as a Service (SaaS) / Internet-based Businesses, Technology-Enabled Services and Vertical Software Solutions, and life sciences companies in Molecular and Point-of-Care Diagnostics, Medical Devices and Specialty Pharmaceuticals with capital requirements between $5 and $50 million. Safeguard participates in expansion financings, corporate spin-outs, management buyouts, recapitalizations, industry consolidations and early-stage financings. www.safeguard.com