Portland Teenage Entrepreneurial Competition (P-TEC)

Portland Teenage Entrepreneurial Competition is a pilot program that brings together high school students from across the Portland metro area to collaborate across schools, develop entrepreneurial thinking, and solve real-world challenges.

Open to students in grades 9-12 from participating schools, P-TEC brings students together in cross-school teams to develop business or social innovation ideas with guidance from professional mentors, coaches, and judges. Participants build communication, collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving skills that prepare them for success beyond high school.

P-TEC is supported through a five-year matching grant from the EE Ford Foundation, alongside Catlin Gabel’s investment.

Program Purpose

P-TEC helps students develop the skills needed to thrive in college, careers, and their communities. Working with peers from different schools exposes participants to new perspectives while mentors, coaches, and judges from Portland’s business and innovation community provide guidance and real-world expertise.

Who Can Participate?

PTEC is open to students in grades 9-12 from participating Portland-area schools, including:

• Beaverton High School
• De La Salle North Catholic High School
• Jesuit High School
• Lincoln High School
• St. Mary’s Academy
• Sunset High School

Participation is free thanks to funding from the EE Ford Foundation.

2026-27 Program Experience

P-TEC takes place over three weekend sessions (location to be announced by fall 2026). Sessions typically run 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Saturday and 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Sunday, with breakfast, lunch, and snacks provided.

Get Involved

• Student Participants: Applications open September 1, 2026.
• Mentors and Judges: Interested adults from the Portland business community should contact the program directors for more information at p-tec@catlin.edu