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St. Louis CAPS Takes 3rd Place at Battle of the Saints Pitch Competition

On the evening of Wednesday, December 5th, two cross curricular groups from the St. Louis CAPS program competed against a variety of different schools and organizations from across the St. Louis region in the 1st Annual Battle of the Saints Student Pitch Competition. These students had the opportunity to compete at the Parkway Spark! Incubator and win up to $500 in start-up capital from Masterclock of St. Charles.  Students were challenged to present their business/product concept, create a slide deck, and convince the judges of its feasibility, creativity, and need – all within a five minute window.
One group – composed of Samantha Reynolds (Healthcare-Oakville HS), Clayton Geile (Healthcare-Mehlville HS), Nathan Rellergert (Business-Seckman HS), Richard Cohen (Business-Affton HS), Manuel Paurevic (Technology-Affton HS), and Carson Schaper (Engineering-Oakville HS) – presented their concept called Midwest Opioid Recovery Solutions.  This company focused on helping relieve the opioid crisis in St. Louis through preventative technology.  They discussed the problem in our region regarding the misuse and abuse of opioids and then proposed their uniquely designed dispenser bottle that would help prevent potential overdoses.
The second group – composed of Amina Hasanagic (Healthcare-Mehlville HS), George Sakellis (Healthcare-Oakville HS), Justin McCrady (Business-Oakville HS), Kevin Wich (Engineering-Oakville), Mylo Counts (Technology-Affton HS) and Hunter Womick (Engineering-Affton HS) – presented their business concept called The Blood Barrier.  This product is a revolutionary, new device that will be presented to hospitals and blood donation organizations nationwide.  Due to a common fear of needles/blood, many individuals choose not to donate.  This device will prevent volunteers and patients from having to view the needle and blood while donating; therefore, the amount of blood donated to organizations (such as the Red Cross), will increase.
At the end of the night, judges Ken Harrington, Andy Bourey, and Jon Fitzgerald awarded The Blood Barrier a third place win!  As a result, the team earned $100 in capital.  They are planning on re-investing their prize into their business to create a more realistic looking, functioning prototype.  Both teams did an amazing job at pitching their ideas, reflecting not only professionalism but also innovative thought and teamwork.