‘Social Bud’ earns Notre Dame Prep team national award

Their entrepreneur class is over, but the entrepreneurial spirit for four rising seniors will carry them into summer.

They won the Audience Impact Award and $5,000 during Seed Spot’s national Demo Day May 14 at Tempe Center for the Arts. Funds are intended to further develop Social Bud, a forthcoming app and website designed in class to help people overcome social anxiety. It would partner with therapists to offer simulations and games that strengthen the coping skills, social skills and confidence of students preparing for college or other stressful situations.

“I was very excited for the opportunity to participate in the Seed Spot curriculum through Notre Dame Prep,” said Christopher Griffin, one of the students. “The process gave our team a unique view of the challenges it takes to run a business and be successful entrepreneurs.”

Four juniors from Notre Dame Preparatory pose for a photo following their win at Seed Spot’s national Demo Day May 14. (courtesy photo)

His team also included Chris Bateman, Colton Baldwin and Calvin Bicket. Demo Day featured 12 teams whittled down from more than 50 schools nationwide.

Students pitched their ideas to a panel of Seed Spot judges from various professional fields. Names of individual schools were not readily available, but the top five teams won a portion of $17,500 in cash prizes. Ideas from two of them involved ways to better respond to active shooter situations.

Seed Spot is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting all social entrepreneurs who create a product, service, or technology that improves lives or makes the world a better place. They work with schools to support student entrepreneurs by surrounding them with the right access to resources, mentors, business fundamentals, community partners, capital sources, and anything they need to succeed.