Announcing Our 2025 Rising Start-Ups Champions!

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Announcing Our 2025 Rising Start-Ups Champions! 〰️

Five volunteer judges, including business leaders and venture capitalists from our community, listened to our six Champions pitch their start-up ideas and awarded three grand prizes of $2,500, $1,500 and $1,000 and runner up cash prizes for the other Champions to pursue their start-up adventures.

Many thanks to The Children’s Trust for funding the Rising Start-Ups Program and Commissioner Regalado and District 7’s office and other donors for funding the venture capital prizes!

May 10 Demo-Day 2025

Young Entrepreneurs Make Their Start-Up Pitches…

…Win Micro Seed Venture Capital

A young man holding a large novelty check for $2,500, with a woman standing next to him, in an indoor event space.
A presentation in a classroom with a woman and a young man. The woman is standing near a table with snacks, while the young man is speaking into a microphone. A TV screen shows a logo for "Pit Stop BBQ" with a red shield and flame. The room has framed posters on the wall and a bookshelf.
A woman presenting to a group of people in a classroom or meeting room, standing in front of a large screen displaying a presentation titled 'Rising Start-Ups Storyboard'. The woman is gesturing with her right hand, and there is a young man standing beside her.
A man in a black shirt and red tie is presenting in front of a classroom with a microphone, standing next to a digital screen. A woman in a red dress is watching the presentation. There are posters on the wall and a bag of Ritz cheese crackers on the table in the foreground.
Group of five people in a classroom, celebrating a student winning third place in a competition and holding a large check for $1,000 with the date 05-10-2025, in front of a screen displaying a presentation.
Group of six people, five women and one young boy, standing behind a table with various items, including a large check for $1,500 made out to Team Luca, awarded for second place. They are smiling, with some holding the check, in a room with framed motivational posters on the wall and a presentation screen.
A man in a blue blazer giving a presentation to a seated audience in a modern room with white walls, a colorful mural, and a high black ceiling with exposed metal beams and LED lights.
Two students presenting in a classroom, one holding a microphone and the other looking at a large screen with an educational slide about health and emergency procedures.
A boy giving a presentation about autism, holding a microphone, standing next to a man holding a second microphone; a screen behind them shows an illustrated boy with red hands and a text block explaining autism.
A classroom or conference room setting with students presenting at the front and an audience seated at desks, with motivational posters on the walls.
Green logo with three cartoon children holding hands above the text 'The Children's Trust' in green letters.
Seal of Miami-Dade County, Florida, with text indicating it is the Office of Commissioner Raquel Regalado for Miami-Dade County District 7.

Rising Start Foundation Founder and Clinical Director Maria Alejandra Mejia and Board Member Bob Davila Announce Launch Of The Rising Start-Ups Program

Mayor of Palmetto Bay, Karen Cunningham welcomes ten fearless Innovator Neurodivergent Students And Their Families at the launch of our Rising Start-Ups Program on Saturday March 8.

The Rising Start-Ups Program is an exciting new and totally free innovative career and workforce readiness program for neurodivergent middle and high school students up to age 22

Discover & explore innovation & entrepreneurial product development and start-up opportunities including the chance to share $10,000 in “seed funding” prizes to the most promising ideas

See below for links to detailed program description, program application, and program resources including our YouTube Video Library and our Digital Resources Library

The Rising Start-Ups Program Resources

Program Application & Description

The 2025 Rising Start-Ups Cohort Has Been Selected.

Follow our progress over the coming weeks and look out for future cohort announcements

Click on the links below to access the Program Application and Detailed Program Description

Please Note: Only 10 teams will be selected from applications received. Applications will be reviewed on a “rolling basis” so please apply early for the best chances for consideration.

Available Now! Click Links Below

Detailed Program Description
Program Application

Explore The Rising Start-Ups YouTube Video Library

You will find numerous short and long form videos produced by The Rising Start-Ups Program as well as by other leading innovation & entrepreneurship programs that will help you succeed in your journey

Launching March 8, 2025

The Rising Start-Ups YouTube Video Library

Discover Our Digital Resources Library

Here you will find our blog, articles and other valuable content regarding innovation & entrepreneurship

Launching March 8, 2025

The Rising Start-Ups Digital Resource Library