Port Byron Senior Alex Patti and his team recently placed second at the Junior Achievement Entrepreneurial Youth Summit, which was held March 10 at Bryant and Stratton College in Syracuse.

Patti joined students from other area high schools to learn about entrepreneurship. Student attendees worked in small incubator groups throughout the day, learning the fundamentals of fleshing out business ideas, calculating costs and presenting ideas to potential funding sources. They were mentored by current entrepreneurs and industry experts. At the end of the day, the groups had to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges. 

“I didn’t know what I was walking into. It was like an episode of Shark Tank,” Patti said. “It was really fun.”

Patti and his team placed second with their idea for “Temperwear Ink.” Temperwear is a concept for a shirt with a thermal panel lined with copper. The shirt would be designed to gather and redistribute the heat that your body naturally gives off. 

Patti said that they chose copper because it is light, and it absorbs and distributes heat well. They calculated that the cost to produce one shirt would be $10. They estimated how much money it would take to mass produce the shirts and determined they would need $104,000 in investments to get started.

“One of the biggest things that I saw was that there are people who have the same ambition as me,” Patti said. “I need to be part of a group that has the same motivations as me and that is what I am most excited about. I just need to get out there. I’m ready.”

“Surround yourself with people who have the same ambition as you. Then you can bounce ideas off each other. It’s like a lightbulb. It just turns on and its always on,” Patti said. 

Patti is looking forward to graduating and pursuing his studies and future career. He plans to attend Cayuga Community College next fall to study business administration and finance.