By Zach Spicer
“Hit me with your best pitch. Fire away!”
On the morning of Sept. 29, Seymour High School students entering the 2026 Maverick Challenge Jackson County delivered their pitches to three local business professionals. Thanks to Lance Gentry with Beatty Insurance, Dan Robison with the Jackson County Chamber, Jordan Richart with the Community Foundation of Jackson County, Arann Banks with the Jackson County Visitor Center and Philip Roggow with the Southeast Indiana Small Business Development Center for taking time out of their schedules to listen to the pitches and provide feedback.
Maverick Challenge is a high school business planning competition that began in 2008 in Bartholomew County. Jackson County joined the program in 2011. Two years ago, Bartholomew County ended the program, but Jackson County leaders kept it going in the county with a partnership between four sponsors — Brownstown Ewing Main Street, Seymour Main Street, Jackson County Chamber and JCIDC Workforce Partnership — and a funding partner — JCBank.
Students from Jackson County high schools can work individually or with a partner or two.
Now that they’ve introduced their business ideas, they will be paired with a mentor in late October to help them work through the process.
Pitches will continue this week at the other participating high schools, Brownstown Central, Crothersville and Medora. Overall, there are 48 teams registered, comprised of 74 students.
Again this year, the students will be invited to participate in Entrepreneur Week, partnering with SPARK Jackson County, Nov. 17 to 21.
Business plans and videos will be submitted by Feb. 6 and reviewed by judges, and the 10 finalists will compete in an oral competition in front of a panel of judges March 4. There, they have an opportunity to earn money and be named the 2026 Maverick Challenge Jackson County winner.
For the second year in a row, the winner will be one of the finalists in the SPARK Tank competition, giving them a chance to win more money.
They also can enter the state’s Innovate WithIN competition, where again, more money is up for grabs.
