The California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) at Norco recently hosted a Defy Ventures graduation and business pitch competition.
The event marked the culmination of six months of hard work and training for the incarcerated participants in the Entrepreneurs-in-Training Defy Ventures program.
The students presented their business ideas in several rounds of a competition styled after the popular TV show “Shark Tank.” They made their pitches to panels of community business leaders who acted as judges. The judges asked clarifying questions, provided feedback to strengthen the business concepts and pitches, and evaluated the overall presentations. The judges then selected competition winners.
At the end of the day, five winning pitches were selected from the group in an awards ceremony, followed by a cap-and-gown graduation ceremony. The entrepreneur students earned a Certificate of Entrepreneurship issued by the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.
What is Defy Ventures?
The organization is a national nonprofit with a vision to cut recidivism rates by leveraging entrepreneurship to increase economic opportunity and transform lives. These programs help current and formerly incarcerated people by providing pathways to employment, entrepreneurship, and successful reentry.
Submitted by Harrison Glin, community resource manager
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