New York student advances to national finals of the Mott Million Dollar Challenge in Flint, Michigan

A bold idea from a New York student is among just 60 semifinalist submissions selected from over 3,700 nationwide to pitch at the Mott Million Dollar Challenge, June 15-16 in downtown Flint.

FLINT, Mich., June 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Isabel Cho from New York, New York has been selected as a semifinalist in the Mott Million Dollar Challenge, a national pitch competition for K-12 students.

More than 5,300 young people from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. submitted over 3,700 business ideas and social solutions to the Challenge. From those entries, 1,500 submissions were selected in the first round. Now, the creators behind the top 60 ideas are advancing to compete at a live national event in Flint, Michigan next week.

Isabel Cho, an 11th-grade student at Stuyvesant High School, developed Find It after watching her older brother, who is completely blind, navigate the daily challenge of locating everyday objects safely and independently. Find It is a built-in smartphone camera feature that allows users to take a photo of a room, pantry, or countertop and ask where a specific item is located. The app responds with an audio description of the object's exact location, helping users quickly find what they need without searching by touch. Unlike expensive AI glasses or additional assistive devices, Find It works directly through a smartphone, making the technology more accessible and affordable. While designed to support people with vision loss, the tool can also help anyone save time and reduce frustration when searching for misplaced items.

"In a world where technology is everywhere, accessibility for all should be built into our lives," said Isabel in the social pitch to the Mott Million Dollar Challenge.

As a semifinalist, the project will be awarded $5,000. Isabel will pitch live in front of judges during the final competition June 15-16 in Flint.

Funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation as part of its centennial celebration, the Mott Million Dollar Challenge is administered by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) in collaboration with VentureLab, Young Entrepreneur Institute (YEI), the Afterschool Alliance, Collaborative Communications and the 50 State Afterschool Network. The Challenge is designed to shine a light on entrepreneurship education as a meaningful way to help students build skills they need to navigate and shape the future.

Learn more about the Mott Million Dollar Challenge and explore semifinalist ideas at https://mottmillion.org/60-semifinalist-pitches/.

Contact:
Jen Peters
[email protected]

SOURCE Charles Stewart Mott Foundation