Student Entrepreneur Mandeep Patel wins 2020 EO GSEA US National Competition
Founder of ElecTrip and Student at University of Texas to Represent the US at GSEA Global Finals
Alexandria, Virginia, USA (20 February 2020) – The Houston chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), the world’s leading peer-to-peer network of successful business leaders, congratulates the US national winner of the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA). Mandeep Patel, Founder of ElecTrip and a student at the University of Texas at Austin was chosen as the US GSEA champion and will compete at the global finals taking place in Cape Town, South Africa from 26-28 April 2020.
GSEA is EO’s premier awards program for students who own or operate a business while attending college or university. The US National competition hosted at both the Startup Grind Global conference and Box, Inc. this year saw presentations from over 30 participants across the United States.
Talking about his GSEA experience Mandeep said, “The biggest win from this competition is the sense of community; knowing there are other student entrepreneurs, like me, out there and that there are entrepreneurial networks like EO that offer support. I’m excited about the next phase of the competition and making new friends from all over the world to visit.”
Mandeep Patel’s company, ElecTrip offers a city-to-city electric vehicle service within Texas. The company was created to be the most cost-effective, comfortable, and productive travel solution saving frequent travellers up to 30 hours on average every month. ElecTrip’s vehicles are Teslas outfitted with WiFi, snacks, and drinks to provide the most comfortable and productive experience possible.
Serving on the judging panel of the national competition was Daniela Blanco, the 2019 Global Champion of EO GSEA. “Judging the national competition brought back memories from my time participating last year. It’s amazing to be able to connect with other entrepreneurs. Each one bring their own perspective towards problem-solving and you could see this at the recent national competition rounds as well. GSEA is an amazing journey and I wish all the global finalists the very best!”
EO Houston, GSEA Chair, Robert De Los Santos said, "The GSEA is one of the most amazing competitions I've ever been a part of. As a college student I competed in it and it inspired me to one day grow my company large enough so that I can join the Entrepreneurs Organization. I am so happy to be able to pay it forward and that we found a national winner in our own EO Houston chapter to represent the United States. Congratulations Mandeep, you are already a winner in my eyes."
Mandeep earned $10,000 in prize winnings from the national competition. Brian Hoang, SURVIVR came in second place receiving $5,000 and Sarah Pomeranz, Sulis in third received $2,500.
National rounds of the GSEA competition are currently underway across the world with over 1,200 student entrepreneurs competing in total. In addition to networking and mentorship, global finalists stand a chance to win US$25,000 in cash if they achieve first place, whilst 2nd and 3rd place runners up will take home US$10,000 and US$5,000 respectively. The competition also recognizes special efforts towards Social Impact, Innovation, and Lessons from the Edge. To know more about the GSEA competition and participants, please visit: http://gsea.org/
