News

Bermuda’s Virtual Enterprises International programme has been taking Berkeley Institute students out of the classroom and into the world of business. And their efforts have led to scholarships overseas worth thousands of dollars. Source: Berkeley students discover world of business … Continue reading →

Three of Valley Stream North High School’s Virtual Enterprise students have received full tuition scholarships to LIU Post and will be attending this fall. Congratulations to seniors Dylan Baldessare, Danny Keane and Justin Romano for this outstanding accomplishment, which is … Continue reading →

More than 1,200 students attended each event. The trade shows were held at the Pasadena and Oakland convention centers and set up to mimic the real thing with groups of students occupying booths and presenting their ideas and business plans … Continue reading →

The Bakersfield High School team that took part in an international business competition in New York last week didn’t merely win a first-place prize, the students may also have brought Source: EDUCATION ROUNDUP: BHS still buzzing over Bumble’s business prize … Continue reading →

The new legislation boosts education aid by $1.1 billion, including a $700 million increase in Foundation Aid. Source: Governor Cuomo Signs Legislation Investing Record $25.8 Billion in High-Quality Education Across New York | Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

From serving as competition judges, to providing marketing advice, to making connections to real-world professionals and opportunities, volunteers play hundreds of different roles in order to help transform VE students into business professionals. In honor of the 2017 National Volunteer … Continue reading →

On March 26-27, 2017, a total of 60 schools came together to participate in the Bay Area Entrepreneurship Conference and Trade Show in Oakland, California. Key Stats 1200 total attendees 60 schools 79 firms 1112 students 98 volunteers 8 Trade Show competitions … Continue reading →

Thank you to the 4,300 attendees who joined us for an amazing three days. Competition Results Find competition results for National Business Plan Competition, National Human Resources Competition, National Marketing Competition, Global Business Challenge, Booth Competition, Salesmanship Competition, Sales Materials … Continue reading →

The VE experience creates an entrepreneurial mindset and allows business thinking to flourish in the classroom. As a result, many students develop innovative ideas for real businesses during their time in VE. Through the new Venture Challenge, VE provides budding … Continue reading →

On Thursday, March 9th, 2017, 10 schools participated in the Mid-Atlantic Trade Show at the Advanced Technology Center, Tidewater Community College. Key Stats 220 total attendees 10 Schools 13 Firms 190 Students Special thanks to the following volunteers: Daniel Girouard, Daniel Baxter, … Continue reading →

On Thursday, January 19, 2017, California held their State Business Plan Competition Finals. Eighty-one companies participated in the first two preliminary rounds during mid-December 2016. Forty-two companies participated in the third round on Wednesday, January 18, 2017 and sixteen companies … Continue reading →

On Tuesday, January 24, 2017, the second annual Florida Business Plan Competition was held at the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business & Entrepreneurship of Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale and drew more than 100 people interested in transforming … Continue reading →

On January 18th and 19th, a total of 52 schools participated in the California Trade Show in Bakersfield, California. Key Stats 1,650 total attendees 52 Schools 75 Firms 1,400 Students 250 Volunteers 19 Trade show competitions Competitions Results for top teams in … Continue reading →

  On March 17th, 200 VE students came together to participate in the North Carolina Trade Show at Granville Central High School in Stem, NC Key Stats 400 total attendees 6 Schools 11 Firms 200 Students 10 Volunteers 2 Trade show … Continue reading →

HOLBROOK, NY–(Marketwired – March 15, 2017) – American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc. (APFS), a privately-held, independent broker/dealer that services financial advisors across the country, hosted the finals for the seventh annual Long Island Virtual Enterprises International (VEI) Business Plan Competition … Continue reading →

Winning Women is Virtual Enterprises’ first-ever Female Leadership Conference Series designed to support and prepare high-potential VE female students for future success. This conference which took place on March 3 was the second in a series hosted by NBCUniversal, and … Continue reading →

The Long Island VE firms that will move on to the National Business Plan Competition in New York City on April 3rd at Microsoft Technology Center are: Flip Chip, Syosset High School Poseidon Pure, Sanford H. Calhoun High School ROC Security, G.W. … Continue reading →

On Monday, February 13, 2017, 72 VE firms and 1,200 attendees participated in the Los Angeles Area Trade Show. Key Stats 1200 total attendees 59 Schools 72 Firms 1,050 Students 45 Volunteers Special thanks to: Volunteers: OpenX, SCORE, Spin PR, … Continue reading →

On December 9, 2016, nine firms gathered for the 2016 Northeast Trade Show. Key Stats 212 total attendees 7 schools 9 firms 8 competitions Competitions Results for top teams in the Best Booth, Business Plan Competition, Company Newsletter, Human Resources Employee Manual, … Continue reading →

On January 13 and January 17, 2017, a total of 72 firms gathered for the 2017 Long Island Trade Show. Congratulations to the students in the 72 LI VE firms that participated the Long Island Business Plan Competition and Trade … Continue reading →

On Friday, February 3, 2017, 59 VE firms, including 800 students and facilitators from Illinois and Michigan traveled Chicago, IL for the Annual Great Lakes Trade Show. Key Stats 805 total attendees (740 students) 38 schools 59 firms 45 volunteers 14 … Continue reading →

The following nine teams have moved on to Round II of the 2017 VE Venture Challenge. Each team was evaluated as real-world entrepreneurs soliciting start-up funds from investors. These businesses excelled in the following criteria: viability, scalability (growth potential), team, innovation, … Continue reading →

Review the resources below to ensure your firm’s success during the inaugural International Trade Month. We’re adding best practices on an ongoing basis throughout the month of February. If you have an international trade best practice to share, email it … Continue reading →

On October 25, 2016, 33 Illinois VEI firms met at the Northern Illinois University-Naperville Campus to learn how to successfully run a VE firm. 670 VE employees had an opportunity to hear from keynote speakers Abhi Rajmane and Nic Zito … Continue reading →

On December 2, 2016, 750 attendees gathered together for the 2016 San Diego Trade Show. Key Stats 750 total attendees (700 students) 26 schools 39 firms 20 volunteers 6 competitions Competitions Results for top teams in Catalog or Menu, Creative … Continue reading →

On December 2, 2016, nineteen firms competed at the 2016 Illinois Business Plan Competition held at Northern Illinois University-DeKalb Campus. The competition consisted of firms submitting a written business plan for evaluation and an oral presentation to a panel of … Continue reading →

The purpose of the VE Venture Challenge is to allow VE students to pitch their unique real business concept to a panel of leading entrepreneurs — who are titans in their industry — at VEI’s annual Gala on April 5, 2017 in … Continue reading →

On November 21, 2016, 1,400 attendees gathered together for the 2016 Midwest Trade Show in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Key Stats 1,400 total attendees (1,325 students) 77 schools 119 firms 16 volunteers – Special thanks to Bruce Hayes, Director of TSBDC … Continue reading →

Written By: Abril Peña, NYC VE Fellow On October 14th, 2016, NYC VE Chief Executive Officers gathered at 30 Rock for the annual CEO Summit, hosted by Deloitte & Touche LLP. This event is designed to expose the CEOs of … Continue reading →

Teri Jones, VEI Southern California Regional Director, and Eric Yu, VE-Junior Ventures Career Academy (VE-JV) Instructor, welcome students and special guests to the opening of a VE-JV Career Academy in Hubert Howe Bancroft Middle School (Los Angeles, CA). The students start the … Continue reading →

On January 14-15, 2016, 1,500 of students representing 100 schools from around California attended the Rabobank Convention Center and Marriott Hotel for the Bakersfield Trade Show and State Business Plan Competition. During the Trade Show, students tested their salesmanship and … Continue reading →

From July 11-14, 2016, more than 140 new and returning VE teachers gathered together at LIU Post for the second annual National Teachers Conference. These four days offered collaborative professional development, workshops, presentations, networking opportunities, a bus tour of New … Continue reading →

On April 19, 2016, VEI celebrated its 20th anniversary at its fourth annual Gala, an event that drew 375 leaders from education and business who gathered to see and support the future of business. Several current and former VEI students … Continue reading →

On June 10, 2016, Deloitte volunteers celebrated Impact Day in New York City by connecting with Brooklyn’s Sweet N Savory Catering and Avant-Garde Furnishings of Fort Hamilton High School and Tech-Nique (an Imagination, Inc company) from High School of Arts, … Continue reading →

On February 5th, 2016, over 450 students, staff, judges, and guests from Michigan and Illinois attended the second annual Great Lakes Trade Show at the Double Tree by Hilton in Holland, Michigan.  Student employees from 48 firms gathered to promote and … Continue reading →

The atmosphere was electric at the 12th Annual San Francisco Bay Area Entrepreneurship Conference and Trade Show, March 4-5, 2016 at the Oakland Convention Center in Oakland, California! The event attracted more than 1,300 VEI students, teachers, industry professionals, and … Continue reading →

On Tuesday May 24th, 2016, 40 Entrepreneurship students in teams of five participated in the first-ever New York City Global Enterprise Challenge hosted at Microsoft. Inspired by the Practice Enterprise Business Challenge held in Karlsruhe, Germany, students were given two hours to … Continue reading →

On Friday May 27th, 2016, executives from VE New York City firms came together at Mercy College to recap on the year’s progress for their firms. The day started with our first guest speaker, VE alumnus and recent Mercy College … Continue reading →

In May 2016, National Program Director Nick Chapman visited the following VE firms and schools in Michigan: The Block, Affinity One, and Sparks (Cousino HS), Synergy (Genesee Area Skill Center), Adventure Time and Arctic Apparel (Pinckney HS), Dexacorp (Lakeland HS), and … Continue reading →

Suveer Seemangal Founder and CEO of BluBase Consulting Class of 2014 Queens Vocational and Technical High School New York, New York Can you briefly describe what you do in your current role? I am currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) … Continue reading →

This summer, rising high school seniors can pursue their passion and get a taste of college life at LIU Post’s residential campus in New York. The Summer Honors Institute at LIU will give students the chance to immerse themselves in … Continue reading →

View the business plan presentations for the top 6 teams from the 2016 National Business Plan Competition. View a full recap of the event here. 1st Place AquaTerra Westhampton Beach HS, New York 2nd Place Brooklyn’s Sweet ‘N Savory Catering … Continue reading →

On April 17, 2016, some of the best and brightest student leaders and budding entrepreneurs in the country gathered together to compete for the top spot at the National Business Plan Competition, sponsored by HSBC. Teams representing 28 VE companies … Continue reading →

On April 17, 2016, the inaugural National Human Resources Competition (NHRC) provided an opportunity for teams of 1-2 HR employees from VE companies to deliver oral presentations to inform judges of their HR policies and practices as they relate to … Continue reading →

On April 18, 2016, 300 students from 8 countries went from strangers to colleagues in one of the world’s most amazing events for business students. Students were tasked with reviewing a business case study about Sony’s Playstation 4. The teams … Continue reading →

On April 19, 2016, more than 3,000 students, educators, business leaders, and industry professionals gathered together for the largest exhibition of practice businesses in the United States and the grand finale of the Youth Business Summit. Every industry from entertainment, to … Continue reading →

Tanner Force Founder of Trinity River Consulting, LLC Class of 2014 Murrieta Valley High School Murrieta, California Can you briefly describe what you do in your current roles?  I currently work with two software development companies assisting with both creation … Continue reading →

Jaronie Samnang  Entrepreneur and Assistant Branch Manager at Hertz Class of 2010 Roosevelt High School Fresno, California  Can you briefly describe what you do in your current role? My full-time job is as an Assistant Branch Manager at Hertz. Here, I … Continue reading →

The following 28 teams have qualified for the 2016 National Business Plan Competition, taking place on April 17 at LIU Brooklyn. This event is the most prestigious and rigorous annual business plan competition for public high school students. It challenges … Continue reading →

The 2016 National Video Commercial Competition, the year’s third National Online Competition, is taking place during March. For this competition, students will produce a 30 to 60 second video commercial that effectively promotes their VEI business, product(s), and/or service(s). Videos … Continue reading →

Lana Koretsky Senior Consultant, Human Capital, Deloitte Class of 2005 Edward R. Murrow High School Brooklyn, New York Can you briefly describe what you do in your current role? I am a Senior Consultant within Deloitte Consulting’s Human Capital practice. … Continue reading →

Robert Lenahan Founder of Hospital Heroes, LLC. Class of 2013 William Floyd High School Queens Village, New York What do you currently do? I’m currently a junior at Molloy College, pursuing my bachelor’s degree in Accounting with a minor in … Continue reading →

Aleeta Benito Class of 2001 Van Buren High School Queens Village, New York Briefly describe what you do in your current job role. I’m a CPA and currently an Audit Manager at EisnerAmper LLP in New York City, one of … Continue reading →

On January 14th, 2016, 24 Virtual Enterprise firms, representing each of the five boroughs, braced the early morning cold fronts to attend the New York Citywide Business Plan Competition, hosted at the United Federation of Teachers. Each firm had 10 minutes … Continue reading →

VEI and TIAA-CREF are partnering together to launch a VE program in a St. Louis metro area high school by 2016-17. TIAA-CREF is a Fortune 100 financial services organization and a leading retirement provider for people who work in the academic, research, … Continue reading →

On Friday, December 4 at Northern Illinois University-DeKalb Campus, twenty-three VEI Illinois firms competed in the 2015 Illinois Business Plan Competition. Despite an increase in the number of competing teams, Underwrapz finished in the top spot for the third year … Continue reading →

From November 22-23, more than 100 VEI firms from Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, New York City, South Carolina, and Tennessee gathered in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for the first Trade Show of the 2015-16 school year. A Collection on Twitter Check … Continue reading →

On October 1st, 2015, the Advertising Futures Competition, a much-anticipated event of Advertising Week (the largest and most prestigious annual gathering of advertising and media industry leaders in North America) took place at Microsoft in New York City. The Competition … Continue reading →

On Tuesday, October 13th, 40 VEI student executives representing different firms from the five boroughs of New York City attended the 2015 Fall Executive Conference hosted by ACORD/InVest/St. John’s University. The event enabled VEI NYC students to learn about the … Continue reading →

On Monday, February 9, 2014, 22 VEI firms attended Myrtle Beach for the bustling 2015 South Carolina Trade Show and 14 teams participated in the Southern Business Plan Competition. Southern Regional Director Christine Haff said of the event, “For the first time … Continue reading →

On Friday, January 16, 2015, 34 VEI firms attended Farmingdale State College for the bustling 2015 Long Island Trade Show and 30 teams participated in the first round of the Long Island Business Plan Competition. Business Plan Competition Results Following … Continue reading →

Situated at the United Federation of Teachers headquarters, the annual VEI New York Citywide Business Plan Competition gave twenty firms the opportunity to distinguish themselves as top VEI firms in the region. On the morning of January 15, students and … Continue reading →

The 2014 Northeast Trade Show and Business Plan Competition took place on December 12, 2014 at the University of Rochester, bringing together VEI firms and students from around upstate New York. EnviroScentals from Mount St. Mary Academy in Kenmore, NY … Continue reading →

2,100 high school students representing 100 schools throughout California and New York attended the 2014 California International Trade Show held in Bakersfield on December 2-3, 2014. In addition to the Trade Show, VEI firms from California also participated in the 11th … Continue reading →

Listed below are results from the Tennessee Business Plan Competition, results from Midwest Trade Show competitions such as Best Business Card, Best Brochure, and Best Commercial, tweets from the event, and news coverage. TN Business Plan Competition Results Photos of … Continue reading →

In the spring of 2014, CTE Visual Merchandising and Business Marketing teachers at the High School of Fashion Industries in New York City embarked upon a journey to transform their school store into a successful student-run business that could raise … Continue reading →

On Wednesday, October 29th, more than 100 VEI student leaders attended a VEI Student Leadership Conference in Michigan. Students rotated through three sessions: a high ropes course and rock wall, a leadership session, and a department session. Students were grouped … Continue reading →

Think of what you usually accomplish in 30 seconds. Maybe it’s pouring a cup of coffee, or sending a quick email, or getting up from a chair and stretching. Would you be able to pitch a newly-created business to a … Continue reading →

On October 1, 2014, the Advertising Futures Competition, a much anticipated event of Advertising Week (the largest and most prestigious annual gathering of advertising and media industry leaders in North America) took place at Microsoft in New York City. The … Continue reading →

VEI students are expected to “become the teacher” the moment they step foot into theclassroom-turned-office. Each student serves as a full-time employee of a nationally-operating virtual business, becoming active learners instead of passive listeners. They’re in charge of completing daily … Continue reading →

Unlimited Potential (UP), a new mentoring initiative launched by Viacommunity–Viacom’s social responsibility umbrella–will provide promising high school students worldwide with the opportunity to gain exposure to the media industry. UP’s mission is to provide mentoring to high school students who … Continue reading →

With funding from McGraw Hill Financial and guidance from its Standard & Poor’s division, VEI is developing a credit-rating tool that will enable student-run firms to assess the creditworthiness of their own businesses as well as that of prospective trading … Continue reading →

This fall, Virtual Enterprises International (VEI) launched its first college-level program in partnership with Bronx Community College and College Now (an early-college City University of New York initiative). The program provides high school students who complete the one-year course with … Continue reading →

Maine East High School of Park Ridge, Illinois is a school that added one of the 52 new VEI firms for the 2014-15 school year. To officially celebrate the launch, students, teachers, and administrators held a ribbon-cutting ceremony. VEI interviewed … Continue reading →

Down to Earth, Inc. HCHS Virtual Enterprises International Check out the new Down To Earth, Inc. employees from Hardin County High School who were recently given recognition in a local newspaper: “As the new school year starts, the high school … Continue reading →

Put your keyboards down; the results for the 2015 National Website Competition are in! Throughout the months of January and February, active websites made and managed by VEI firms received ratings and constructive feedback from a pool of judges comprised … Continue reading →

The following 24 teams have qualified for the 2015 National Business Plan Competition, taking place on April 14 at Microsoft. This event is the most prestigious and rigorous annual business plan competition for public high school students. It challenges VEI … Continue reading →

On February 20, 2015, 64 firms from Michigan and Illinois gathered together for the first-ever Great Lakes Trade Show and the third overall VEI Trade Show in the month of February. 690 students gathered at the Donald E Stephens Convention … Continue reading →

“[The event] was really impressive and unlike anything I have ever seen in education,” Brett Jeffares, Connetquot High School, Bohemia, NY On Wednesday, February 25, 2015, seven VEI firms from Long Island presented their business plans to a panel of … Continue reading →

On April 15th, a crowd of over 400 supporters from the business and education communities packed Tribeca Rooftop to celebrate VEI’s efforts to drive the future of business and innovation. In the first part of the evening, VEI students from … Continue reading →

Grant Funds In-school Entrepreneurship and Business Program for Middle School Students Nationwide NEW YORK, April 16, 2015 — Virtual Enterprises International (VEI) announced that it will be expanding its efforts to create tomorrow’s business leaders and entrepreneurs by piloting a … Continue reading →

Rising seniors, class of 2016: we invite you to apply for VEI Bootcamp: Create. Innovate. Startup. at LIU Post in Brookville, NY from July 12-17 for an exclusive, week-long business competition. 5 days. That is all the time you have to create, … Continue reading →

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VEI has partnered with General Assembly to present “All Access Class,” a free six-month trial of GA Front Row, an online library of streaming classes covering tech, business, and design topics needed to advance one’s career. General Assembly is an educational … Continue reading →

All 24 finalists made phenomenal presentations after months of preparing and competing at local and state levels. Below are videos of the presentations from this year’s top 6 finalists. Life’s PURiTEA – 1st Place Byron Nelson HS, Trophy Club, TX Coordinator: … Continue reading →

On February 12th, 2015, 64 different VEI firms from Central and Southern California attended the 7th Annual Long Beach Virtual Enterprise Trade Show at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California. The event marked the largest VEI marketplace in Southern … Continue reading →

On April 10, 2015, more than 675 students, teachers, industry professionals, and other guests gathered at the Joe and Vi Jacobs Center in San Diego, California for the 2015 San Diego Trade Show. 38 firms and 24 schools participated in the … Continue reading →

Watch the top three presentations from the 2015 Global Business Challenge. Team 12 – First Place (Co-Champion) Team Members Lucas Bahia, Escola de Formação Gerencial Sebrae EFG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil Craig Hilson, Austin Business and Entrepreneurship Academy, Chicago, Illinois Katharina Karcher, HLA … Continue reading →

The 11th Annual San Francisco Bay Area Entrepreneurship Conference and Trade Show took place March 15-16, 2015 at the Oakland Convention Center in Oakland, California. The event attracted more than 1,345 VEI students, teachers, industry professionals, and other guests, who … Continue reading →

On Tuesday, May 19th, 40 VEI student executives representing 38 different firms from New York City attended the 2015 Spring Executive Conference hosted by Barclays. The event allowed VEI students to highlight and share achievements from the year, reflect upon their … Continue reading →

On March 18, 2015, 22 firms from Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee gathered together for the 12th Annual Mid-Atlantic Trade show at Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk, Virginia. Rhonda Doak, Director of the Mid-Atlantic Region, praised coordinators and students at … Continue reading →

VEI is excited to announce that we will be partnering once again with LIU Post to provide VEI students with an extraordinary opportunity to attend the VEI Business and Entrepreneurship Leadership Conference on October 7. Open to all New York … Continue reading →

  Explore the recaps from these Trade Shows below. Midwest Regional Trade Show California International Trade Show Northeast Regional Trade Show Long Island Regional Trade Show South Carolina Trade Show Long Beach Trade Show Great Lakes Trade Show SF Bay Area … Continue reading →

Last week, 80 new and returning VEI teachers from California, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas attended LIU Post in Long Island, New York for our first-ever VEI Summer Teachers’ Conference. Over 70 schools were represented as … Continue reading →

Life’s PURiTEA of Byron Nelson High School in Trophy Club, Texas took home 1st Place at the 2015 National Business Plan Competition. The organic tea company with a purpose represented a brand new school that joined VEI during the 2014-15 school year, serving … Continue reading →

On June 12th, 2014, students from VEI’s T-Squared of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis HS (New York, NY) visited Time Square Studios at One Astor Plaza in New York City for a taping of VH1’s Big Morning Buzz Live, a daily morning news … Continue reading →

During a tour of Brooklyn’s P-TECH on June 11th, 2014, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott visited VEI’s Titan, Inc. P-TECH is a 9-14 high school model that provides an opportunity for students to earn a high school diploma and an Associate’s … Continue reading →

Axis Enterprise of Franklinton High School in Franklinton, NC recently received news coverage in the North Carolina-based The Wake Weekly. From the article: “‘This is an amazing program and it gives you so much insight on how a business works inside … Continue reading →