At the Germantown Library this weekend, visiting middle and high school students won’t just be reading quietly in a corner. They’ll have a chance to pitch their business ideas to win money to fund and launch their entrepreneurial endeavors.
The Great African Market Experience, also known as The G.A.M.E., hosts its inaugural “Shark Tank Jr.” competition Sunday. They invite students from across Montgomery County, Maryland, Virginia and D.C. to step into the role of entrepreneur.
Participants will pitch their business ideas live to a panel of judges and a room filled with families, community members and local business owners. The winner will receive a $500 cash prize and a vendor booth at the group’s upcoming spring market, “A Taste of Africa” on May 3 at the Double Tree by Hilton in Gaithersburg. Featured on the county’s tourism website, Visit Montgomery, that event is expected to draw about 1,500 people.
But organizers say the stakes go far beyond the prize.
“This is about giving young people the confidence to speak, to build, and to see themselves as business owners,” Ada Ari, co-founder of The Great African Market Experience, said in a statement.
Ari is one of four co-founders of the event, all Montgomery County-based women entrepreneurs from Nigeria who are donating the prize money from their own pocketbooks.
The G.A.M.E. launched its first marketplace in December 2025, drawing more than 1,000 attendees and earning recognition from the county council. The youth business pitch competition is an extension of that mission. It is focused on teaching entrepreneurship skills to the next generation, particularly children from African and immigrant families.
“It’s really just an opportunity to create opportunities here in the U.S. for immigrant families who may have had thriving business back home, but who are now struggling in America,” explained Ari. “So, it’s that old adage ‘lift as we climb…’ while empowering our young children,” she said.
For many of the students participating, the event reflects what they see at home. Ari said many of the competitors are children of immigrants who have watched their parents build businesses from the ground up. And now they are starting their own enterprises, which this contest hopes to spur.
The experience is designed to be hands-on and high stakes: students must present clearly, engage with judges and defend their ideas in real time.
And for one winner, the opportunity doesn’t end on stage.
The grand prize winner will take their idea directly to market to sell their product or service before a large public audience just weeks later at the The G.A.M.E.’s May marketplace.
Efe Eworuke runs a nonprofit organization partnering with the event called, Empowering Black Youths Corporation. “From wellness to creativity, these young innovators are building brands with purpose,” Eworuke said.
So far, Eworuke said, the types of youth-run businesses that have signed up for the “Shark Tank Jr.” style contest include:
- A plant-based room fragrance designed to be gentle on the senses, crafted with lavender, rosemary, mint, citrus peels, cinnamon, rose, and vanilla;
- FigitLab, which creates fidget tools to support focus, ADHD, stress and anxiety relief;
- ASTER*SK, a streetwear brand rooted in calm, intentional self-expression;
- Dragon Media, which helps businesses grow through e-commerce, social media and website support;
- Books to Date!, which aims to turn reading into a fun mystery experience with surprise book bundles;
- Mama Voy, a business making travel easy, affordable and stress-free for seniors; and
- And a custom 3D printing bringing ideas to life through toys, keychains, and personalized designs
Sunday’s event runs from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Germantown Library. Participants must register online. Applications submitted past the deadline may be considered, said Ari, if the pitch is solid.
