Over 70 students from 36 St. Charles and St. Louis high schools came to Lindenwood University’s campus to participate in this year’s CAPS Battle of the Saints Pitch Competition. This event highlights the university’s commitment to certify Lindenwood as a top destination for entrepreneurially minded students.

The Centers for Advanced Professional Studies prepare entrepreneurial-minded students with business skills for college or the workforce. St. Louis and St. Charles CAPS programs compete in the annual Battle of the Saints Pitch Competition in which students pitch their business ideas to a panel of entrepreneurs and business leaders. The students competed for $3,000 in prize money.

For many student participants, the competition was their first time on campus. The University capitalized on this event as a recruitment initiative. Lindenwood Chief Entrepreneurship Officer Dan Lauer spoke on the opportunity that the event brings to the University. Lauer said, "hosting promising Entrepreneurially minded high school students on campus is an opportunity to demonstrate Lindenwood’s interest in supporting the region's best and brightest. Our desire is to inspire them to consider Lindenwood as a next step in their education."

36 different pitches were delivered in the three-hour event. Of the 36, nine pitches were selected to win prizes between $250 and $400. Top prize recipients included students who created their own energy drink brand, online retail website, parenting prep bag, and auto part sourcing business.

St. Charles CAPS Director Erica Land spoke about key takeaways that students can gain from this hands-on experience: "Battle of the Saints provides a platform for students in local high school business incubators and CAPS - to practice and perfect key professional skills such as: collaboration, time & project management, creative problem solving, presentation skills, business communication, and networking. Several of which are also CAPS Network Core Values which drives the "why" for the profession-based learning pathways CAPS programs make accessible to students from our partner high schools and school districts in St. Charles and St. Louis counties."