The amphitheater at Olympus High buzzed with the chaotic energy of ambition. Startup Pitch Week was no ordinary school event—it was the battlefield where ideas became influence, and influence became power. Tier 1 and Tier 2 students gathered under polished lights and digital backdrops, waiting for their turn to pitch.
Lucas Grant sat quietly backstage, his tablet glowing softly in his lap. While others rehearsed flashy slide transitions and perfect punchlines, he focused on impact.
This wasn't just a pitch.
This was his first move to build an empire.
His idea wasn't flashy. It wasn't centered on luxury or status like the others. But it had something stronger—scalability and soul.
Microvest.
An AI-driven micro-investment platform where teenagers could back student-led startups with as little as $1. Designed with mentorship networks, gamified learning paths, and credibility scoring systems—Lucas wasn't pitching a product.
He was pitching a gateway.
Raj adjusted Lucas's collar nervously. "You sure they'll buy this? Most of them only care about money inside Olympus."
Lucas gave a small, calm smile. "They will. Because Olympus students care about winning. And this gives them reach."
Theo chimed in, "You're saying this is… like farming influence outside Olympus?"
"Exactly," Lucas said. "No one else is thinking about the outer market. I'll make Olympus kids see that controlling influence outside the system is the new advantage."
An announcement rang out: "Next up—Lucas Grant. Provisional Tier 1."
Lucas stood, collected, and walked out into the blinding light of the amphitheater.
He stepped onto the circular stage. The council members sat elevated, watching from above like judges from Mount Olympus.
A timer blinked: 05:00
Lucas began.
"Olympus teaches us that wealth is power. But wealth without reach? That's just noise.What if every student in this room could fund the next unicorn—not with $100,000, but with $1?What if every 16-year-old in the country could invest in student founders right here at Olympus—backing talent before it becomes headline?That's what I'm building.A micro-investment platform where verified teen startups meet micro-backers—backers who get returns, mentorship perks, and a credit score inside a gamified ecosystem.Olympus creates elites. I'm giving elites an empire to rule."
He clicked once. The screen showed sleek mockups, growth charts, and a demo of the platform's AI-driven suggestion engine.
"The numbers?" Lucas continued. "There are 4 million high school students in this country. If even 1% of them invest a dollar a month—that's $480,000 in monthly circulation.You think small money can't move mountains? Tell that to the kids who invest early and win big."
A pause.
Then he locked eyes with the Council.
"I'm not asking for your money. I'm asking for your support to control the most untapped capital in this generation: belief.You want Olympus to matter outside Olympus?Back this."
Silence.
Then the timer buzzed.
Lucas stepped back, chest rising slowly. It wasn't perfect. But it was real.
The judges scribbled. Whispers circled. And then, one unexpected thing happened.
Sierra Lin—the same council member who had monitored Lucas from afar—raised her hand.
"Mr. Grant," she said, voice calm but commanding. "Do you have a working prototype?"
Lucas nodded. "An MVP is under development. I've outsourced backend work through Olympus's freelancer pool and coded the UI myself."
"And monetization?"
"Platform takes a 2.5% commission per transaction. Mentorship subscriptions are premium features. Tokenized reward system for early investors."
Another judge, an older Tier 2 named Milo Zhang, raised an eyebrow. "And your advantage over existing crowdfunding platforms?"
Lucas smiled. "I'm not crowdfunding. I'm creating a verified ecosystem where teenage talent meets youth capital—with Olympus as the anchor. No one else is building that."
Silence again.
Then a ripple of applause.
The presentation was over.
Lucas returned backstage, where Raj and Theo were waiting.
Raj's eyes were wide. "You just challenged the entire Olympus mentality."
Theo grinned. "You basically told rich kids to think like venture capitalists."
Lucas just sat down, calm. "Now we wait."
That night, the Olympus Startup Board released preliminary results.
Top 3 Pitches (In No Order):– Arena Grant: Athlete AI Recovery Pods
– Aditya Mehra: Crypto Loyalty Cards for Luxury Cafes
– Lucas Grant: Microvest – Teen Investment Platform
Raj jumped. "Bro! You made top three!"
But Lucas didn't celebrate.
Because he saw the fine print.
Arena Grant was one of the Lucas cousions. She was just above Lucas in family pecking order often looked down upon by others. So she channeled all her anger on Lucas.
Lucas knew it was not time to get in fight with her. Now he is not ready.
He just need to stablize himself in top 3 in competition
Final Round – Public Debate & Crossfire Format – In-Person, Live Audience
He leaned back.
The next phase wasn't just about pitching.
It was war.