Medina takes home top student award from 43North business competition

Provided photos: Medina students Alexander Balaban, Isabella Gray and Elaina Bitsas pitched their idea of Pets & Found.

Press Release, Medina Central School

BUFFALO – Medina Junior-Senior High School business students competed and won top honors at the first-ever 43North Students to Startups Finals! The event was held at Seneca One Tower in Buffalo, NY.

Medina students Alexander Balaban, Isabella Gray and Elaina Bitsas competed against nine other teams, most from larger districts, and came home with first place and $1,000 for their hard work and effort.

Their business idea – Pets & Found – was a subscription style app to help owners find their pets and partner with local veterinarians to develop a kind of animal patient portal to benefit both pet owners and veterinarians.

43North is an accelerator program for seed-stage startups and has given over $5 million annually into growing Buffalo’s startup ecosystem. 43North is excited to collaborate with educators to inspire entrepreneurship and innovation in their classrooms.

“We are so proud of these students,” says Jody Sargent, one of the school’s business teachers.  “We want to congratulate them for their hard work and effort as well as Business/Computer teacher Mrs. Krista Lindke who worked extensively to prepare these students for their success.”

The students were featured on  the news television stations in Buffalo last night.

From left include Mr. Jody Sargent, Isabella Gray, Elaina Bitsas, Alexander Balaban and Mrs. Krista Lindke at the 43North Students to Startups Finals.