Business concept created by high school sophomore
LeAnn Bjerken
December 7th, 2017, Journal of Business
Startup Spokane, a program of Greater Spokane Incorporated, has named Lilโ Omelette, a web-based cooking class for children, the winner of its 2017 Startup Weekend.
This yearโs winning idea was pitched by 16-year-old Bella Memeo, a sophomore at Spokaneโs Riverpoint Academy.
โThis is my first year, and I didnโt know what to expect,โ says Memeo. โIt turned out that a team of very talented professionals chose to form around my idea, because they believed in it.โ
Memeo says she came to the event with an idea for teaching kids the basics of cooking, that eventually became Lilโ Omelette, a web platform that offers three different levels of cooking classesโbeginner, intermediate, and expertโfor children ages 5 to 12.
Megan Hulsey, program manager for Startup Spokane, says the site also aspires to include interactive characters to help engage kids, teaching them to navigate the kitchen and build cooking skills alongside their parents.
โItโs a really fun and creative idea for a business,โ says Hulsey. โSome of the characters the team came up with over Startup Weekend are pretty cute.โ
Hulsey says Lilโ Omelette was chosen by a team of judges at Startup Spokaneโs annual entrepreneurship event held Nov. 10-12, at Avista Corp.โs headquarters, at 1411 E. Mission.
She says this yearโs event had about 70 entrepreneurs participate, who presented about 19 different start-up ideas, the top 10 of which were selected as finalists. Over the course of the event, finalists and their supporters then worked together to conduct market research on their ideas while consulting with members of the business community on financial and legal matters associated with starting a business.
At the eventโs conclusion, the top three business plans were selected, with the winners receiving $3,000 in legal assistance from Spokane-based intellectual property law firm Lee & Hayes PLLC as well as free membership to Startup Spokane.
Hulsey says as the first place winner, the Lilโ Omlette group now will work with Startup Spokane to determine future steps for the business idea, including trademarking characters and developing plans for the content of its online cooking classes.
She says the start-up idea also will be put into consideration as a competitor for Global Startup Battle, an event which pits winning teams from similar events around the world against one another in a global video competition.
Memeo says participating in Startup Weekend helped her to understand the work that goes into creating a business.
โI learned that itโs okay to take risks even if I wasnโt sure of myself or my ideas,โ she says. โI went from someone who just wanted to attend and learn, to winning, and it really has boosted my confidence in myself.โ
Second place at Startup Weekend was awarded to Sound Barcode, a marketing concept that involves embedding audio files in barcodes. Work Bid, a platform and service for homeowners searching for a contractor, won third place.
Companies created in past Startup Weekends include iCPooch, Beardbrand, and Spiceologist.