by Garth Meyer
Five RUHS student groups placed at the 2025 Project Echo Entrepreneurship Business Plan State Competition, held May 4 at Cal. State University Dominguez Hills.
Up against 19 schools, among 53 teams, two Redondo groups of all freshmen took first – one for their business plan “Timewise,” an app to manage time and personalize study plans – in the services category of the competition – and the other young group won for “Bliss,” heated bathrobes, in the products category.
Taking second in products was an RUHS group with “Kowzy” – a multi-functional towel – and for services, a Redondo Union group took second also with “TapIn” – digital business cards.
Finally, an RUHS group finished third with a restaurant plan, “Fasta Pasta”.
Students competed at Dominguez Hills in one of three categories: social enterprise, product or service.
The Redondo kids are all enrolled in one of Mike SooHoo’s six periods of “Business Entrepreneurship Finance” class, from which the top 15 projects were chosen to compete at CSUDH.
Since January, SooHoo’s students developed and honed their projects, reviewed weekly by members of the Redondo Beach Rotary Club, with further input from Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce and North Redondo Beach Business Association.
The kids then worked on presentations and a pitch deck.
“This is the best our school has ever done in this competition,” SooHoo said of the third year participating, for the three-year-old class.
In addition to the placers, an RUHS project “GlowPole Technology” won the Jeff Weigel Road Warrior Award.
Each group who placed received a check for $1,000.
SooHoo has taught at RUHS for 22 years, first as a personal finance teacher.
He was given the 2025 Chip Goodman Entrepreneurial teacher of the year award at the state event.
RUHS teams placing first and second were as follows; Amandine Schott, Arjun Modi, Riley O’Flynn, Angelina Molina Gonzalez (TimeWise); Gia Gurley, Sadie Sybesma, Eva Roberts (Bliss Bathrobes); Jack Murray, Anthony Hoheb, Anthony Alexander, Gabriel Pacheco (TapIn); and Alexander O’Brien, Jaxon Airey, Yoshiki Kishi, Mitchel Daly (Kowzy). ER
Congratulations to our Redondo High students and their teacher!
This is just one example of the excellence that goes on in Redondo High, and so many public schools.
Deepest gratitude to our teachers, my unsung heroes.
this redondoan is THRILLED for you, the course and professor – wtg, team ru !!! my high school,back on long island, came in #1 in the country many years ago – i can only say: inspired teachers, open books, cultures, thoughts and studies – out of the box and off of the grid – IS so very exciting – and so very needed. thanks, RU – yes – totally thrilled – ON!