New York – October 28, 2026 -- The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) has advanced two Dallas students from its South Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase to the U.S. National Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase on Nov. 18, 2026, at the Marriott Marquis in New York City.
Two Career Institute North students win the South region
Gizelle Terrones won with Gigi's Homers, a business offering data-driven training and specialized pitching machines for competitive softball athletes. Carlos Anez, from the same school, advanced with the Powerful AI Hydration Bottle, a smart water bottle that uses AI to manage daily hydration.
Both will compete against top youth entrepreneurs from across the country. National participants can advance to the World Finals on Nov. 19 at 787 Seventh Avenue in New York City.
Bank executives judge the student pitches
Competitors pitched original concepts to a panel of four banking professionals: Brian Enzler, North Texas Region President at Fifth Third Bank; Andrew Torres, Bank Call Center Manager at EverBank; Eric Loller, SVP and CRA Exam Manager at First Horizon; and Arsh Kaur, Branch Manager at Prosperity Bank. NFTE said winners were chosen for innovation, financial acumen and pitch quality.
Jennifer Lunt, Program Director in NFTE's South region, said the event showed the creativity, resilience and business insight of its students.
Corporate sponsors back the South event
Comerica Bank hosted the showcase. EY US, PayPal, the G-Unity Foundation, Santander and Zuora presented it.
NFTE South also named its regional honorees: Lincoln Cohoon of Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) as Individual Volunteer of the Year, Santander Bank as Corporate Volunteer of the Year, and Brandon Brown as Teacher of the Year.