NC high school students pitch local tech companies at annual Teamship Showcase

Local technology companies may have solved some of their biggest problems after hearing from North Carolina high school students during the annual Teamship Showcase in Durham on June 25.

Teamship is an internship experience through the College Board where students are paired in groups to solve real-world problems for the businesses they are assigned to. It was founded in North Carolina through the nonprofit District C. North Carolina has several iterations of Teamship programs for private and public school students across the state.

The Teamship Showcase is an accelerated experience where students live on the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics campus for a week while working on their solution pitches. They visit their assigned business partners and work with coaches in the program in partnership with SparkNC. Prior to participating, students must have completed at least one prior Teamship program.

“We know that students with social capital and family networks tend to get these kinds of opportunities, but most students don’t have access to this kind of stuff,” District C Cofounder Dan Gonzalez said. “So Teamship is designed to meet students where they are. Through their communities, through their teachers, at their schools — we bring the experience to them.”

The three businesses that partnered with Teamship this year were Life’sPilot, Givefinity, and Pathstitch. Life’sPilot was searching for a way to help caregivers, specifically those who use the platform to serve people with autism, trust its features powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Givefinity was looking for suggestions on how to recruit school leaders as potential customers for their volunteer app. Pathstitch wanted to know how to effectively user test their peer-to-peer collaboration platform for educators. 

This year, Teamship had 22 participants from 15 different counties. Teams of three or four students were given less than 30 minutes to pitch their solutions and answer questions from business partners. Each business heard solutions from two different teams. Meetings were held simultaneously in a boardroom-style set up with a small audience of family and friends to cheer the students on. 

Amy Gardinier, cofounder of Givefinity, praised students after hearing a group propose that they offer school districts a free trial of their app to build their company’s credibility. 

“I just love all the different ways that you thought about it,” Gardinier said to the team of students. “I can tell you put a lot of development into it, and you guys asked us really good questions.”

After the pitches, students and coaches reflected on the highs and lows of the experience.

Nikki Bellamy, a student from Lenoir County Schools, said she learned that even if someone on your team suggests an idea you don’t like, you can find a way to work it into what you are doing. 

“And maybe in the workforce, may not try to overpower anybody else, just take a moment,” Bellamy said. 

Some students thought of things they would do differently. 

“If I could do one thing over again, it would be enjoying the moment. Really appreciate what the coaches are giving you, the opportunities you’re getting, the networking resources, because these are the kinds of things you might never get again,” Ira Ardireddi, a student from Wake County Public Schools System, said. 

Gonzalez co-founded District C in 2017 and now serves as general manager of Teamship at the College Board. After the pitches, he said one of the more remarkable moments of the experience for students is overcoming their doubt.

“I think those are the character-forming moments for these students on their teams, and they really learn with coaching how to work together to pull themselves out of those low spots and keep moving forward,” Gonzalez said. “We know from real work, from our experience in real work, those are the moments that define you in the workplace.”

Gonzalez also said that they have also invested a lot of time into their coaching philosophy. The educators who sign up and train to be coaches for Teamship have a critical role in helping students develop durable skills. 

Andrea Brown, a Johnston County Public Schools educator, has been involved with Teamship since 2021. She is now a Teamship Captain that supports other coaches in the program. 

One of Brown’s favorite parts of the program is seeing the students take ownership.

“Oftentimes students in the classroom, they just simply regurgitate information,” Brown said. “They just simply kind of do it for a grade. But here, they are empowered with tools to help them beyond just simply completing an assignment or doing a class. It resonates with them because they feel like they’re adding value and that they are valuable.”

Since District C’s acquisition by the College Board earlier this year, Gonzalez hopes to see Teamship eventually reach students in all 50 states.