![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Harker hosted Startup World Cup’s first high school regional event in the Patil Theater on Sept 21. Six student-run companies in total competed in this pitch competition, five led by Harker Incubator students and one from students in Chicago.
Teja Gummies, founded by senior Sriteja Kataru, showcased its gummy supplements specially for teens. Seniors Sara Glusman, Rushil Jaswal and Sahil Varma presented their company WrapIt’s product, a stylish and supportive recovery sleeve for athletes. Senior Ian Gerstner introduced his company Pottr, which produces innovative fly traps. Curlosophy, run by seniors Norah Mehanna and Shaila Tandon, showcased their starter kit service for curly hair products. Seniors Emily Mitnick and Naiya Daswani pitched their ramen company Shlurp, which produces a vegan, high protein and low sodium instant noodle combination.
Shlurp took first place, winning $1,000 and a spot at the Startup World Cup Grand Finale, the final competition with a winning prize of $1 million dollars. Pottr and Teja Gummies came in second and third place, respectively.
“It was very impressive seeing some of my fellow students up there,” Incubator student Sophie Pellet (11) said. “I really liked Pottr just because [Ian] was really dedicated. He’s just one guy, but he worked two years to make his own insect lure and is now awaiting a patent, which is crazy.”
Keynote speakers presented before the event began, including the Chief Evangelist of Pegasus Tech Ventures Bill Reichert and the founder and CEO of Poshmark Manish Chandra.
Harker’s Startup World Cup planning team, advised by Business and Entrepreneurship teacher Michael Acheatel, invited four professionals to judge each contestant’s company: founding partner of TSVC Eugene Zhang, general partner of Sequoia Capital Sonya Huang, managing director of Black Rock Rui Zhao and angel investor and owner of Hero Ranch John Keller.
“We worked hard to make it a really professional and high quality event,” Startup World Cup planning team member Robinson Xiang (11) said. “We had meetings every week and we just talked about and nailed all the details down: the small things like the brochure, or how the judges are set up, how everything flows from one event to another, and just keeping it interesting and not boring for our audience.”
Parents and spectators filled the seats of the theater, gaining new insights and perspectives from both students and invited speakers.
“The kids are so mature and it’s so amazing that they have already put their products on the market,” parent Julie Yu said. “Hopefully, this event can happen again next year and more students can come and learn things and put them into use in the future.”
