The lucky winners of that Dublin-Belfast clash, St Malachy's ("they enjoyed home court advantage," Curt told me, winning out over St Michael's Holy Faith Secondary School from Finglas), will now head out to South Africa for the SAGE World Cup in late July where they will compete against teams from 17 other countries with bright ideas for new businesses. Their costs are being met by an ex-pupil now working with the Credit Suisse bank who has been supportive of the school.
SAGE brings students together with mentors to encourage them to take on a business venture. At the end of the academic year, the student teams showcase their efforts on a regional, national and world stage.
The 'referees' in these competitions come from the world of business — in the Belfast competition, some of our best-known business people were involved.
When I met Curt in Belfast recently — I caught him at the Europa just before he headed back to the US for the American national finals in Buffalo, New York — he was exploring ways of bringing the SAGE World Cup to Belfast next year. Last year, the World Cup was in Brazil where the locals presented in Portugese, though most entries are in presented in English. SAGE is also active in China, Nigeria, Russia and the Ukraine.
You can read more about SAGE, set up by this one-man hurricane from California, at their website.
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