LAS VEGAS — Allegiant Stadium and Las Vegas Raiders are excited to announce the commencement of its first Raiders Den Program. Yesterday, three groups of Southern Nevada high school participants showcased their final presentations to a crowd of more than 200 at Allegiant Stadium. After their presentations, participants were able to hear feedback from a professional panel that included Las Vegas Raiders Vice President – Government Relations Piper Overstreet-White; Community Programs Advisor at M.Y.S. Firm Ken Evans; and former NBA player CJ Watson.
One group of participants was chosen as the winning team and was awarded $20,000 in funding for their business idea. The winning team included students Ayden Queano, JosefinaVilla and Jayda Elliott with their stadium wayfinding product Raiders Way. Runner up teams and products were Match & Market by Diva Saxena and Madisyn Queano, and Sonic Station AI from Ivana Gavrilovic, Gabriel Tuitele, and Sophia Crawford.
Raiders Den, which kicked off on July 10, was a dynamic seven-day summer program designed exclusively for high school students currently enrolled at accredited high schools in Southern Nevada. Created by Allegiant Stadium Community in collaboration with stadium Community Advisory Board members, this initiative invited aspiring entrepreneurs to pitch a product or business ideas they believe would positively impact the stadium.
"The guiding principles of Allegiant Stadium Community programming are creating opportunity, access, and resources for the purposes of fostering equity advancement and positive impact," said Neumiia Duncan-Reed, Allegiant Stadium VP of Human Resources and Community Impact. "Raiders Den is a prime example of the program doing just that while bringing about real-world change."
Aligned with Allegiant Stadium's core principles of career development and supplier diversity, the Raiders Den program provided a unique platform for students to receive coaching and mentorship from industry experts. Through this immersive experience, participants tapped into a wealth of knowledge and guidance to refine their innovative concepts learning from sessions such as "Finding Your Idea," "Conducting Market Research," "Business Planning and Pitching," and more.
For more information, visit: https://www.allegiantstadium.com/community/raiders-den-program.
