Merion Mercy Team Wins First Place in EntreX Diamond Challenge

Last semester, 18 students took Mr. Paul Clementi’s Economics and Entrepreneurship class, a unique dual enrollment course offered in partnership with the University of Delaware’s Horn Entrepreneurship EntreX Lab. Designed to prepare students to thrive in a rapidly changing world, the program cultivates agile thinking and creative problem-solving through hands-on experience.

Throughout the semester, students worked through an evidence-based entrepreneurship process, developing original ideas for new businesses or social ventures. Through research, collaboration, and iteration, each team refined its concept and built what Mr. Clementi described as an “impactful, yet feasible, solution.” He added, “As a team, this requires them to engage in a thoughtful, data driven analysis of how to approach the problem and consistently reevaluate and ideate on their solution concept.” 

The course culminated in a “Shark Tank”-style pitch competition in which student teams presented their ventures to a panel of judges that included alumna Kylie Campisciano ’18, a marketing specialist and MBA candidate at New York University, and faculty members Miss Anna Norton ’18 and Ms. Pat Sack. The winning teams were Elina Deka ’27, Sidona Goniche ’28, Lia Lucci ’27, and Maria Sanchez ’28, who developed Athlete+, a mobile app that uses AI to help student-athletes better manage their time, and Madison Wolf ’26 and Nicolette Whitehawk ’27, who created the Break-Down Bag, a reusable and compostable shopping bag.

Both teams advanced to the EntreX Diamond Challenge, where they delivered a five-minute pitch and participated in a three-minute Q&A with a panel of business investors. Competing against nearly 50 teams, Athlete+ earned first place in the Business Venture category—one of only two winners in the category. The team received a $500 prize and will advance to the Limitless World Summit, an international two-day entrepreneurship conference and competition hosted by the Horn Entrepreneurship Institute at the University of Delaware on April 23–24. The summit is widely regarded as one of the premier events for high school entrepreneurship programs.

Reflecting on the experience, Maria Sanchez said the process changed the way she thinks about entrepreneurship. “What I learned through developing our own business venture is that starting a project or business isn’t as impossible as it might seem,” she said. “Anyone can do it.”

Asked whether the Athlete+ team would like to further pursue their venture, she said, “Our venture is really personal and meaningful to us. If we were given the chance, I feel like we would all pursue this idea and try to make it a reality.”

Elina Deka offered this: “Throughout the process of developing our own business venture there was a lot of trial and error. I’m so proud of my team and how far our hard work has taken us. I would say the most fun part of our time at the University of Delaware was our group arriving late and finding out 5 minutes after we arrived we would have to present first. We all handled this effficiently and with excitement. I can’t wait to see how Internationals go!”

Mr. Clementi said, “Long after this experience, my hope is that this becomes a life skill which helps them not just accept the status quo, but empowers them to take agency to make their lives and our world a better place. I am incredibly proud of both groups.”  

This marks only the second year that Merion Mercy students have participated in the EntreX Diamond Challenge, making the achievement all the more impressive. The experience reflects Merion Mercy’s commitment to the Mercy core value of Educational Courage—encouraging students to take intellectual risks, pursue innovative ideas, and apply their learning to real-world challenges with confidence and creativity.