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For five weeks, forty four high schoolers endured the summer heat, navigated the challenging subway system and made the daily commute to the City College of New York's campus. These dedicated students were enrolled in the Bossgirls program, an immersive summer entrepreneurial program for high school girls. Powered by the Zahn Innovation Center, Standard Chartered sponsors Bossgirls as part of its Futuremaker Initiative. The students are in the 9th, 10th and 11th grades, and represent public and private high schools from five states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Texas! 

Bossgirls lead instructor, TeLisa Daughtry, began the program diving into the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In 2015, the United Nations Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is a collaborative blueprint for all countries to work together in global partnership towards peace and prosperity. The agenda centers on seventeen sustainable development goals (). Our students chose these six goals on which to delve deeper for connections to local issues facing New Yorkers.

• SDG #3 - good health and well being
• SDG #4 - quality education
• SDG #5 - gender equality
• SDG #8 - decent work and economic growth
• SDG #9 - industry, innovation, and infrastructure
• SDG #10 - reduced inequalities

Over the next four weeks, the students worked on understanding customer needs & pain points, analyzing competitors, defining products/services, developing a sustainable revenue model, prototyping a MVP, and developing an innovative business solution. 

In addition to the Bossgirls staff, TeLisa Daughtry, Di Cui, Kesia Hudson and Allison Zhao, guest presenters provided guidance: Chantele Pereira, Head Risk Management, Europe & Americas, Standard Chartered, Jenny Arredondo, senior UX/UI designer, and Uvika Sharma, Founder & Managing Partner of INTLDA.

A host of Standard Chartered employees, as well as supporters of the Zahn Center volunteered their time to mentor the teams. They include: Martha Adeline, Ganesh Asirvatham, Alice Aston, Katherine Bagley, Patricia Balogun, Josephine Barcelon, Chris Bobko, Christopher Burtch, Scott Edwards, Anna-kay Ellis, Seetha Garikapati, Georgie-Ann Getton, Rodrigo Gurdian, Sanjay Khedkar, Julie Kwak, Carolina Leon, Katie Lynch, Samantha Mazzucco, Susan Merchant, Gwen Nero, Tarun Pal, Gargi Patel, Chantele Pereira, Li Kuan Phang, Valerie Pholpituke, Minal Rana, Jonathan Rothberg, Jason Suh, Kristina Unker, and Kim Wales.

We also left the classroom to learn more about entrepreneurship. The Bossgirls went on two field trips. The first was to Broadway to see Joy the Musical. This show tells the story of Long Island native and entrepreneur Joy Mangano and her journey from single motherhood and financial struggles to building a business empire. 

The second was to our Harlem neighbor, Brotherhood Sister Sol (BroSis), to see how they are addressing SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger), 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), 4 (Quality Education), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and 10 (Reduced Inequalities). Founded in 1994, BroSis has been at the forefront of justice — racial, economic, educational, environmental, criminal and gender. Through their comprehensive educational programs, BroSis helps young Black and Latinx people develop a critical understanding of their history, identity and role in society, define their stories and awaken their agency. We listened to presentations from several of their youth groups, and toured their facilities and community garden. 

The Bossgirls program culminated with a business plan pitch competition. The judging panel was composed of Standard Chartered executives. Caitlin Behren, Chief Operating Officer, Americas, Selma Millan, Head of CIB Business Finance, Americas, and Debra Thomas, Head, Compliance Financial Crime & Conduct Risk, had the unenviable task of choosing the winners.

With only a few hours of in class practice, our Bossgirls conquered those public speaking nerves, delivered impactful pitches and expertly navigated the probing judges' q&a period. At the conclusion of the finale, three teams came out on top: first place: WelcomeRise; second place: MBARK; and third place: FutureFirst.

2025 Bossgirls Startups:

Admissions Avenue - Admission Avenue is for high school students and their parents who want to navigate the college application process with confidence and increase their chance of acceptance without feeling overwhelmed by deadlines, essays, or confusing requirements.

FutureFirst - FutureFirst helps high students access free career development opportunities by connecting them with local small businesses. 

GuideED - GuideED helps high school and college students make connections and gain experience to build a career through a user-friendly app and community hub.

Hydrokids - HydroKids introduces youth to sustainable farming by fostering responsibility and equipping them for a healthier tomorrow. 

Leafy - Leafy is for students, educators, and professionals who want easy access to eco-friendly stationery without the hassle of searching through countless brands.

LingoDoc - LingoDoc provides easy access to multilingual doctors for non-English speaking New Yorkers to improve their wellbeing.

MBARK - MBARK provides gig, part-time, and full time job opportunities for women who recently gave birth to receive income.

Smart Cart - Smart Cart helps people who typically choose processed meals over fresh produce live a healthier eating lifestyle through the Smart Cart app. 

WelcomeRise - WelcomeRise helps non-English-speaking NYC residents access essential services and job opportunities by providing English lessons with native-language guidance and clear audio pronunciation support.