Three Virtual Enterprise teams from West Islip High School – Pop Shop, Mix n Munch and Smart Chew – competed at the Virtual Enterprise Trade Show at Lynbrook High School on March 27, where young entrepreneurs pitched their business ideas to their peers.
Roughly 60 Virtual Enterprise firms were represented by 38 different schools. Each team set up elaborate booths complete with backdrops, interactive experiences and prizes to help draw onlookers’ attention to their unique business propositions. In their Virtual Enterprise courses, students collaborated to build a simulated business from the ground up, starting with an initial idea and growing it to establish company roles, product concepts, marketing campaigns, websites and logos.

Firms had the opportunity to network with peers from fellow school districts and make investments in companies that caught their interest. The Virtual Enterprise program and accompanying Trade Show are excellent ways to build entrepreneurial skills among high schoolers while connecting them across Long Island’s town borders.

“Virtual Enterprise is among the most authentic contextualized learning programs available at the high school level,” Ellen Palazzo, the Virtual Enterprise regional director for New York State and New England, said. “What makes it even more unique is the banking system, helping students create and operate businesses in a virtual environment at a professional level.”

Date Added: 4/14/2025