A Manhattan Beach teen has taken first place - and earned the title of America's Next Top Young Entrepreneur - at the at the Young Entrepreneurs Academy's (YEA!) 15th Annual Saunders Scholars National Competition.

Lila Mokhtari - who just finished her freshman year at Mira Costa High School - won the award with her soap business Maji. She takes home a $30,000 scholarship to the Rochester Institute of Technology, a full tuition scholarship to the Golisano Institute, and a $5,000 cash prize.

Mokhtari came in first place in the local competition back in April. Her company Maji, makes "motivational" soap products for kids. (Maji means water in Swahili.) The clear soaps each have a collectible toy inside, giving kids incentive to use the soap to get to the toy. (Motto: "Putting the Maji-c in Clean Care.")

"We at YEA! Manhattan Beach are elated at Lila's success," said Vesta Sung, YEA! program manager for Manhattan Beach. "Her poise and professional answers to difficult judges' questions were particularly impressive. No doubt Lila will be tremendously successful as she grows Maji."

In 2022, MBMS 6th grader Dallas Nurre placed third in the national competition and won a $20,000 scholarship to the Rochester Institute of Technology.

The "Shark Tank"-style pitch competition begins in local chapters that choose one winner to go to the national competition. The top businesses then head to the semi-final and final rounds at the national competition. The national competition offers a total of $80,000 in cash prizes and college scholarships to the Saunders College of Business at Rochester Institute of Technology to the students with the best businesses.

This year, students representing 19 middle and high schools from 15 states across the country participated in the virtual competition.

The other top winners were Siddarth Nandyala with STEM IT from Frisco, Texas (2nd place and People's Choice award) and Noah Rozin with Ace of Ages from Staten Island, New York (3rd place).

“We could not be prouder of the work these young people are doing and of our partners who are leading the charge across the country delivering YEA!’s entrepreneurship education,” said YEA! founder and CEO Gayle Jagel in a statement. "Just imagine what our world would look like if every student got the chance to bring their ideas to life.”

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) is a 501(c)3 program offering classes and workshops that teach middle and high school students how to start and run their own businesses. Throughout the program, students develop business ideas, write business plans, conduct market research, pitch their plans to a panel of investors for startup funds, and launch and run their own fully formed companies and social movements.

The Manhattan Beach Young Entrepreneurs Academy is sponsored by the Manhattan Beach
Chamber of Commerce. The chamber first started offering the YEA program in 2015, and has
graduated 135 students in nine classes.

In addition to Sung, the YEA! leadership team includes instructor Rachel Thomas and program support from Ro Schreiner.

Founded in 2004 at the University of Rochester with support from the Kauffman Foundation, YEA! today serves thousands of students nationwide. In 2008, the Saunders Foundation became a national sponsor and partner of the Academy. According to its founders, YEA! strives to bridge the business and educational communities to fulfill its mission of teaching more students how to "make a job, not just take a job." For more information, visit yeausa.org.