The NFTE is a nonprofit that aims to encourage young people to have an entrepreneurial mind-set, which includes innovation, self-reliance, risk taking, communication, and problem-solving skills, to prepare them for success. The South Florida competition included students that completed the NFTE’s entrepreneurship class. The NFTE held a South Florida Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship’s Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Competition.

Richard Smithies, a student at Coral Gables High School, won $1,500 after placing first in the South Florida Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship’s Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge for his business venture, Helios Mining. Richard’s business, Helios Mining, uses solar panels to mine Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to increase profits while remaining environmentally friendly. He will compete in the 2018 National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge this fall, in New York City, for a chance to win $25,000.