The students were tasked with coming up with some innovative ideas for concepts that could have business potential and that they could see were missing in the current market.

Once the concepts had been found and the presentations made, the next task was to learn how to pitch to a potential investor or future business partner, and how to present your business model in the best possible way.

Billund Erhverv's business developer Paul-Erik Hensgen was supposed to evaluate the young people's pitch, and he is very satisfied: “The students approached the task with enthusiasm and good energy – of course there was a little nervousness to be detected, but once they got started, it was with humor, self-confidence and good eye contact.”

Teacher Thomas Keller Carstensen has no doubt about the great value it has for the students to have an outside professional assess their concepts and presentations: “In this Company Programme course, the students come across many of the considerations you have to make when you want to start a business. They get to work with things in practice and they get to use it instead of hearing about it. It is super motivating for them to have to present to someone from outside, and they go into it with great courage and good energy.”

Through the course, the students get a feel for entrepreneurship and what it requires. Billund Erhverv's business developers can help and guide entrepreneurs, and the 2nd Gs got a taste of professional business development.

On 23 January, the students from Grindsted Gymnasie- og Erhvervsskole will stand on a stand at Rybners, where they will give their pitches - judges from the business world will go around, to whom the students will present their business ideas. The best teams go on to the regional championships on Funen, and then to the DM in Industriens Hus in Copenhagen.