Radley learners make the judges panel at the Nedbank Pitch & Polish Competition
Radley Private School learners, Aaryan Parmanand, Kaydee Govender, and Oyama Moroeng, enjoyed their roles as part of the Nedbank Pitch & Polish Competition's judges panel, deciding the best business idea from the challengers.
Three Radley Private School learners were part of the 2024 Nedbank Pitch & Polish Competition’s judges panel.
The competition is a blend of one-on-one mentoring and entrepreneurial learning. The contestants engage in a gripping battle of business pitches while competing for the ultimate prize worth an incredible R1m. The entrepreneurial skills and knowledge they learn during the process also increases their chances of obtaining investment and establishing sustainable businesses.
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To be selected, the young entrepreneurs were invited to present a pitch to Raizcorp CEO Allon Raiz, also an official adult judge in this year’s competition. He selected the top three based on their confidence and ability to answer business-related questions.
Raiz believes that if a businessperson can’t articulate what they do in a way that a child can understand, then they don’t actually have a clear idea of what they’re doing, which was one of the reasons for this challenge.
Grade 4 Aaryan Parmanand (9), Grade 3 Kaydee Govender (9), and Oyama Moroeng (10) were the judges of the competition, now in its 14th year.
Aaryan explained that being a judge on Nedbank Pitch & Polish was an amazing experience. “I got to see different people share their ideas and it was really cool to have a say in who had the best business idea. It was exciting and made me feel powerful because I was helping to make a real decision that could change someone’s business.
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“The most exciting part was getting to write down the winners’ name. It made me feel like I was part of something important. The whole set was buzzing with energy from the cameras and lights, and being surrounded by the other judges, who are my friends, was so exciting too.”
Kaydee said, “It felt like I was the boss, and I was proud of myself for getting that achievement. It will be awesome to see myself on TV, and also for other people to see me.”
He added that at Radley, they want them to experience business from a young age, which gives them a head start on how to become a successful businessperson.
Oyama explained that she learned to be honest, brave, ask questions, and have answers. “I’d like to be a judge again in the future.”
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