(calm music) (chattering) - Three four years ago I would have never expected to start a business.
A year and a half ago I would have never expected to be at a competition with 24 of the top young entrepreneurs in the world.
- The e-Fest is the perfect opportunity to connect with others and see how people in a completely different area of expertise are incorporating really cool new ideas into their business model.
Collaboration is key.
We learned a lot about collaboration in the last 48 hours.
(chattering) - The Global Social Impact Award, it's something that I really give this generation of entrepreneurs credit for.
It's not something that's a norm in some of the older generations.
So it excites me that they are coming forward with these ideas and this sense of responsibility to give back, even before they've made any money.
- Our venture is absolutely focused on the social and global impacts.
That was really the initial motivation for starting.
We wanted to make an impact in other people's lives.
We're doing the profits and the revenues and all the other stuff because it's what we need to do to make the difference that we wanna make.
(chattering) The people that are coming to this, they learn so much, they're getting such amazing connections.
I've been furiously taking notes of ones that we would want to talk to.
Every single company is passionate, and smart, and understands the market, and is offering such a huge value.
- I would love for vetiver to just be a household name of, oh, what's your sweater made of?
Vetiver.
You know, people say your dollar is your vote, and that's so true.
That's why businesses hold so much incredible influence it's because people can make a change in the world by spending where they wanna spend.
Vetiver is really an incredible means to do that.
We started by asking, how can we make sustainable practices profitable, for Ernest, and for our business.
Businesses can start investing in this, and if they do it in the right way, and really are helping local developing communities they can use this material to really, make anything from clothes to shoes to rugs to furniture.
And every one of those things, every business that signs on to that, every purchase that is made with that kind of fiber can change dozens of people's lives.
(exciting music) (chattering) - For the championship round, and our five teams are Vetiver Solutions, (applauding) BusRight... (upbeat music) (applauding) (chattering) - Alright.
(chattering) - Incredibly excited and-- - Incredibly excited and eternally grateful.
We need to calm down in the next five minutes.
- Incredibly nervous.
- Yeah we can't be quite this hyper for the presentation in front of the adults.
- Or else we'll do it in like 30 seconds.
- [Girls] Yeah.
(laughing) - Actually, let's run outside.
It'll calm us down when we get cold.
- Actually that's not a bad idea.
- Let's do it.
(chattering) - Hey, good afternoon everyone I'm Elizabeth Alonzi.
- I'm Jesse Abelson.
- I'm Leeore Levinstein and we are Vetiver Solutions.
I feel really honored and privileged to be here., and I'm just so inspired by everything that we've seen and the people that we've met, and so thankful for this opportunity.
And right now I feel very relieved that I don't have to get on stage anymore.
But overall, it's just been a really, really incredible weekend to be a part of.
- Today I judged the finalists.
We look for companies that we can add value to.
We're not gonna be a silent investor.
We want to help, and nurture, and grow these businesses.
So it's been really a lot of fun.
- I want a world where there is no extreme poverty.
I want a world where nobody has to die of poverty or malnutrition, and my ultimate goal is to create that world, and I think vetiver and vetiver yarn can be a big part of that.