"Which is why we're revising,” said Phil Michaels.
They are young entrepreneurs competing for a $1 million in the Clinton Global Initiative Hult Prize.
"We have the upmost confidence in our million dollar plan,” said Michaels.
One million dollars that could take their young company places way beyond this 8th floor University of Tampa classroom.
"I think my face says it all. I was ecstatic,” explained UT Senior Brent Caramanica.
Team Tembo, a group of five, socially conscious, UT students and graduates are planning to go back to some of the poorest slums in Africa if they win.
"Some people don't have running water. They don't have food. They might not even have a bed but they'll have a mobile phone,” said Tembo CEO Michaels.
Mobile phones are the way Phil Michaels and Samantha Toronto plan to reach 10 million kids under six years old with education-- texts parents can easily access and then pass along to their children.
"There's many schools there. They just really lack quality and they're inaccessible to many children,” said Toronto.
For example, students can only get to the school in this Nigerian town by canoe. But lessons are easy to learn when they're delivered by mobile phone to this three and five year old.
"It's a very simple book. Is Spot under the rug? No. Is Spot under the stairs. They light up when they say, no! And then finally, he's under the basket,” said Caramanica.
Team Tembo will perfecting their presentation for the next few days-- a pitch they've already given to Nigeria's Vice President and one they'll deliver to President Bill Clinton Saturday in New York.
You can watch Team Tembo’s pitch live online Saturday at 6PM.
https://www.facebook.com/TemboEducation
