On Thursday, three students and business owners from the Delaware Area Career Center presented their products in front of a group local business leaders, investors and entrepreneurs at Ohio Wesleyan University.

The presentations were part of the “Delaware Does Entrepreneurship” event that featured local entrepreneurs pitching their business ideas to a group of fellow entrepreneurs, potential investors, financial institutions and business leaders.

Three of the presentations on Thursday morning were from students at the DACC who have started their own businesses: Zechariah Bowie, the founder of Zelo Media; Bryce Krietemeyer, the founder of Friends and Feeders; and Bryce Borenstein, the founder of Signature Swimmers.

Bowie, a homeschooled senior, said he wants to “do media differently” with “a focus on storytelling and showing the culture of the schools we work with.” Bowie said he was not nervous about his presentation because he has a large family and practiced for his mother and other family members.

“I feel like the presentation went very well today,” Bowie said. “I got amazing feedback. I got a lot of questions and a lot of nice ideas. It was a great opportunity to connect with other people.”

Bowie said he got reassurance about his business model as well as critiques.

“I definitely got what I was looking for as far as feedback as well as some good business ideas in the future,” he said.

Bowie said the DACC’s Digital Design program helped teach him the technical skills to make his business possible and taught him the value of being able to network with others.

Bowie hopes to be working with other schools and doing videography for little league sports within the next year.

Bryce Krietemeyer, a senior at Thomas Worthington High School, presented his website, friendsandfeeders.com, where he sells bird and squirrel feeders.

Krietemeyer, who is enrolled in the DACC’s Engineering Technician program, said that unlike Bowie, he did not rehearse for the event at all. He said he woke up at about 6 a.m. the morning of the event and put together a slideshow about his business.

“I was very nervous,” Krietemeyer said. “I had nothing rehearsed. It was all freestyle.”

After the presentation, Krietemeyer said he enjoyed the event.

“It was my first time doing something like it, and I think it was powerful because I got to share about myself and my story,” Krietemeyer said. “I gave some power to the audience, and I showed them there’s still hope for the younger generation.”

Krietemeyer said he got feedback on different ways he could expand his offerings, including different places that might carry his product and the idea of personalizing each one.

“I enjoyed being in more of a professional position,” he said. “It was fun and something new I’ve never been a part of.”

Bryce Borenstein, a senior from Westerville Central High School in the DACC’s Digital Design program, showed off his custom fishing lures that he makes for his business, Signature Swimmers.

Borenstein said he started the business because he loves fishing and wanted to make an alternative to the expensive lures that may prevent people from picking up the sport. He said he was nervous but enjoyed the presentation.

“I think there are a couple things I could work on,” Borenstein said. “I was nervous at the beginning but when I started talking, it seemed to go fine. I think I got great feedback. People were giving me good ideas about networking groups, and I got to meet a lot of cool people. I enjoyed talking in front of a group of people, especially about something I’m passionate about. It was a great thing.

Borenstein said he plans to spend the next year growing his online presence, which is currently only instagram.com/signatureswimmers, and he hopes to reach more people.