SMU Student Wins Coveted Global Student Entrepreneur Award (GSEA) from EO Dallas

DALLAS, Nov. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- First place winner Aryan Bhatnagar, founder of EZ Tutor, shared his entrepreneurial journey at the recent GSEA competition. His 'studentpreneur' story of dedication and determination won him $6,000 cash and $5,000 in professional services from Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO Dallas).

To be eligible, students own and manage a business while attending college or university. The field of Dallas entrants was culled to three finalists who presented their businesses to five expert judges as well as a livestream audience. Bhatnagar, who originally competed as a college freshman and lost, finally won GSEA his junior year.

Bhatnagar's company is a marketplace for peer tutoring based on the premise that peer tutoring improves grades, self-esteem and attitude toward education. The company connects students who need assistance in K-12 school subjects, AP classes, test preparation and college applications to top-ranked tutors from the same community. The company is now expanding to include college tutoring and non-academic tutoring such as skills-training, licensing and certification training.

Fellow SMU student Mona El-Gharby, founder of CURLē finished second. El-Gharby started CURLē when, frustrated with hair products for her own curly hair ­– and even bullied for her curly hair – decided to take matters into her own hands. With seed funding from a pitch competition, the SMU triple-major El-Gharby dove into cosmetic chemistry and developed several formulations that would ensure premium quality and effective ingredients for people with the same challenge. With an official launch slated for November at www.curlebeauty.com, El-Gharby expects to add significantly to her growing number of enthusiastic customers who are embracing their curly hair.

Finishing third, by less than a point, Texas Christian University student Grant Dennis shared information on his company, the Hummin Group. Hummin trains the future workforce and funnels students into STEM majors. The Hummin Group's Rocketry Workshop provides a link between the classroom and experience through actual spacecraft construction. Students work together to launch an 8'4" ft tall rocket capable of climbing to 10,000 feet. To-date, Dennis has worked with more than 371 high schools in the Metroplex, instructing over 404,000 students. Hummin Group recently added an online workshop and has received a permit from the National Association of Rocketry for its own Serenity1 rocket. The rocket retails for $150 and can reach heights up to 2,000 ft. Additionally, Dennis is pursuing an engineering patent for Serenity 1.

Judges included:  

• NHL star Marty Turco and now co-owner of Kingsville Brewery Company
• Adrienne Palmer, founder and former president of Insite and an active 20-plus-year member of Entrepreneurs' Organization
• Founder and current CEO of We Buy Houses® Jeremy Brandt
• Scott Krohn, formerly an executive at ABRA Auto Body & Glass and AsTech, and
• Chris Jones, Chief Lending Officer, Executive Vice President and member of the Board of Directors for Texas Security Bank

EO Dallas GSEA Chairman Dean Lontos is committed to helping the next generation of entrepreneurs. "I'm blown away by everything these kids are able to tap into and how poised and ambitious they are," he said. "Entrepreneurship to me comes down to freedom. It gives you the most freedom of any career that I can think of. It's both challenging and rewarding in so many ways."

Bhatnagar will compete in the U.S. GSEA competition in January at a location to be determined.

SOURCE Entrepreneurs’ Organization Dallas Chapter