Congratulations
2023 UDC Capital Cup Entrepreneurship Competition Winners
Over the qualifier course of the 2023 UDC Capital Cup Entrepreneurship Competition, four academic business professors assessed and evaluated more than thirty teams in the qualifying competition. Top 5 teams were selected to attend the final national competition. Three industry judges from DC Chamber of Commerce assessed and evaluated the Top 5 Teams’ presentations on August 10, 2023.
2023 UDC Capital Cup Entrepreneurship Competition Rankings
Ranking |
Team Name |
Team Members |
Champion |
EarlyPath |
Nathan Chen – Bullis School, MDRayan Tanenholz – Bullis School, MDAshley Hays – Bullis School, MD |
Second Place |
No Splash |
Puraav Karnavat – Lambert High School, GA |
Third Place |
Gravitate |
Yidi Zhao – Urbana High School, MDDylan Guo – Winston Churchill High School, MD |
Fourth Place |
DroneDash Management |
Selena Yining Li – Richard Montgomery High School, MDKyle Li – Thomas S. Wootton High School, MD |
Fifth Place |
Proxy |
Henry Yang – Richard Montgomery High School, MDEmilia Zhang – Walter Johnson High School, MDArianna Sun – Boston Latin School, MD |
2023 Championship Team
EarlyPath – Nathan Chen (Bullis School, MD), Rayan Tanenholz (Bullis School, MD), Ashley Hays (Bullis School, MD) w/ Dean Sepehri & Competition Chair Dr. Hua
Second Place Team

No Splash – Puraav Karnavat (Lambert High School, GA) w/ Dean Sepehri & Competition Chair Dr. Hua
Third Place Team

Gravitate – Yidi Zhao (Urbana High School, MD), Dylan Guo (Winston Churchill High School, MD) w/ Dean Sepehri & Competition Chair Dr. Hua
Fourth Place Team

Drone Dash Management – Selena Yining Li (Richard Montgomery High School, MD), Kyle Li (Thomas S. Wootton High School, MD)
w/ Dean Sepehri & Competition Chair Dr. Hua
Fifth Place Team

Proxy – Henry Yang (Richard Montgomery High School, MD), Emilia Zhang (Walter Johnson High School, MD) Arianna Sun ) Boston Latin School, MA)
w/ Dean Sepehri & Competition Chair Dr. Hua
Competition Judges

DC Chamber of Commerce: Jacquay Henderson & Tiffany Tate; Dr. Tan & Dr. Plummer w/ Dean Sepehri & Competition Chair Dr. Hua
The Capital Cup Entrepreneurship Competition will bring the Entrepreneurship competition to every high school in America and to every country in the world, offering smart, innovative young people the opportunity and incentive to create business ideas that can change the world.
Entrepreneurship is a cornerstone of what makes America great. Successful businesses are founded on interdisciplinary, communication, and critical thinking skills, many of which must be gained through experience. While raw knowledge can be obtained in the classroom, it can be difficult for a burgeoning young entrepreneur to experience the process of developing a business plan and executing it. That’s where entrepreneurship competitions can help play a huge role. These competitions give outlets to students who may have a great idea but lack the resources or mentorship for comprehensive follow-through.
Capital Cup- High School Entrepreneurship Competition empowers high school entrepreneurs from around the world to create a culture for entrepreneurship, to promote entrepreneurial education, and to engage in a more peaceful world. Participants are invited to submit their innovative ideas and projects with a societal impact. High school entrepreneurs can present their new venture ideas to an expert panel of entrepreneurs and business leaders, gain valuable feedback, win thousands of dollars in startup funds, and meet prospective mentors and investors!
The UDC Capital Cup Competition is committed to providing experiential learning opportunities for entrepreneurial high school students in Washington DC. In addition, we strive to support and recognize the achievements of entrepreneurs within Washington and throughout the United States. We’re committed to the success of entrepreneurs and believe that they are the cornerstone of a robust economy and nation.
Participants in the International Business Entrepreneurship Plan will:
- apply entrepreneurship knowledge and skills in an international setting
- prepare an oral proposal for a new business venture
- present the proposal in a role-playing interview