Junior firm buffR, under the leadership of CEO Rudra Patel, earned first place at the state competition Thursday at MTSU.
buffR has focused on designing a phone case that blocks EMF radiation.
“EMF radiation that comes off your phone can affect things like fertility, brain development, and sleep, and we hope to reduce that with our product,” buffR chief of staff Ava Stinette said.
Senior firm LINK2LIFT placed second. LINK2LIFT created an interactive apparel company that sells hoodies and bracelets to help promote mental health.
Following the success of having two firms last year, Virtual Enterprise decided to have a junior firm and a senior firm.
After interviews, business teachers Mrs. Jami Aylor and Ms. Tricia Leslie named a senior and a junior as the two CEOs.
With most seniors having prior experience in Virtual Enterprise, both firms are able to benefit from one another.
Mrs. Aylor paired each junior with a senior who has the most similar job to them.
“The bigs and littles meet every Friday,” Mrs. Aylor said.
In these meetings, seniors help guide the juniors and answer any questions they have about Virtual Enterprise. Junior and seniors also get the chance to discuss issues they may be facing with their job, and help each other fix problems.
“The seniors have a lot more experience because we did it last year, so we have been able to help the juniors a lot and guide them and show them what virtual enterprise is,” senior CEO Natalie Heinig said.
Added Mrs. Aylor: “VE is a moving target and changes how they do things every single year.”
To help virtual enterprise, follow the firms on Instagram @Link2Lift.ve and @buffr.ve.