Observe the opportunity for children to launch their very own startup business!

Kids develop a brand, create a product or service, build a marketing strategy, and then open for customers at our one-day marketplace. 

We will host around 50 - 80 booths at Scalzi Park, 97 Bridge St, Stamford, CT 06905, USA on Saturday, September/19/2026 from 12:00 am – 06:00 pm.

Founder & Organizers

Sumaiya Hasan
Founder & Lead Organizer

               

 

Shazia Asim
Co-Organizer

Shazia holds an MBA in Marketing and Human Resources and has taught in multiple schools, bringing creativity and care to her students. These days, she shares her love for learning by teaching the Quran with Tajweed. She is excited to be part of the Stamford Children’s Business Fair, helping inspire young entrepreneurs to dream big and shine.

Saba Syed
Co-Organizer

Saba is a dedicated and compassionate community leader with a strong focus on building healthy, sustainable communities, especially for future generations. Her work includes leading initiatives at both international and local nonprofits, supporting food pantries, and helping organize programs at her local Islamic center. She is especially passionate about creating inclusive, community-building social events that bring people together and foster meaningful connection. Guided by a deep commitment to service, Saba begins each day with the intention of making a positive impact on the lives of those who need it most, always striving to uplift, empower, and spread love in everything she does.

This event is sponsored by Acton Academy, the Acton School of Business. We all believe that principled entrepreneurs are heroes and role models for the next generation.

Whether an entrepreneur comes from a place of privilege or builds something extraordinary from nothing, or they are one of the thousands of unsung business owners across this country, these are the people who make sacrifices to innovate, create jobs and serve their communities.

"Let's Raise kids to be entrepreneurs!" by Cameron Herold
An entrepreneur since childhood, Cameron Herold wants parents and teachers to recognize and foster entrepreneurial talent in children.  His beautiful narrative about his youth and how that brought him success throughout his life.  

"Forget what you know" by Jacob Barnett
Jacob Barnett is an American mathematician and child prodigy. At 8 years old, Jacob began sneaking into the back of college lectures at IUPUI. After being diagnosed with autism since the age of two and placed in his school's special ed. program, Jacob's teachers and doctors were astonished to learn he was able to teach calculus to college students.

"What Adults Can Learn From Kids" by Adora Svitak
Child prodigy Adora Svitak says the world needs "childish" thinking: bold ideas, wild creativity and especially optimism. Kids' big dreams deserve high expectations, she says, starting with grownups' willingness to learn from children as much as to teach.

The 3 magic seeds
A short online brochure that tells about the three magical seeds of discovering the entrepreneurial spirit and how to foster this in your children.  

Young entrepreneurs
A young entrepreneurs who need guidance, inspiration, direction and guidance.  

50 smartest teenagers
The world's 50 smartest teenagers article tells their stories, ventures and how they got there. 

From making cat toys to designing websites, check out these 101+ Business Ideas for Kids by Kris Solie-Johnson below.


https://lulingcc.org/documents/101_kids_ideas.pdf☒

From Biz Kid$, this worksheet below helps young entrepreneurs think about marketing (from the name of their business to who they will sell to) and financials (including materials, pricing, and profit).


https://www.purelansing.com/wp-content/uploads/bizkids-businessPlanTemplate-grades5to8.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0qGBEYiRyDT-mmRYmtprCxB5ZvhfYJKSdzDcYzX9A35IbzRAICxyCepnI

☒ Our 2026 Judges :

Sandra D. Carmichael is an educator, entrepreneur, and certified facilitator with more than 20 years of experience empowering individuals, families, and communities to discover their potential and turn ideas into action. As a passionate advocate for leadership development and entrepreneurship, Sandra has dedicated her career to creating opportunities that build confidence, strengthen relationships, and inspire people to become change agents in their communities.

Sandra is a Certified Facilitator and longtime civic leadership educator, having facilitated hundreds of parent and community leaders through leadership, advocacy, and personal development experiences. She has also served as an adjunct professor, community trainer, and program leader, helping learners connect education with real-world opportunities.

As an entrepreneur and real estate professional, Sandra understands the courage, creativity, persistence, and relationship-building required to turn an idea into a successful venture. She believes entrepreneurship is not simply about making money it is about identifying a need, solving problems, creating value, and having the confidence to pursue your vision.

Sandra is honored to serve as a judge for the Stamford Children’s Business Fair, where she looks forward to celebrating the creativity, innovation, confidence, and entrepreneurial spirit of the next generation of young business leaders.

Abdullah Pasha is a 21 year old serial entrepreneur who has started over three companies. He's currently a senior at the University of Connecticut studying business. He launched Revitalyzr, a shoe care brand with more than seven product lines distributed nationally across 50+ warehouses and sold on Amazon and in stores around the US. He is currently the CEO of Claustar, an AI legal platform that lowers the cost of business contracts by bringing drafting, redlining, negotiating, and tracking into one place, so small businesses get the protection they need without the legal bill that usually comes with it.

Leyla Dam Jenkins opened Lorca Coffee Bar on Bedford St in 2012 when there weren’t many specialty cafés in downtown Stamford. For 13 years, she ran Lorca as a successful business, opened a second location in Greenwich, and somehow ensured that Lorca made it through a pandemic. She worked closely alongside the women’s business development council (WBDC) and SCORE to help mentor young entrepreneurs who wanted to get into the same field. She has a background in architecture and used that expertise to create unique spaces for the cafes. In July 2025, Leyla sold the business to Lorca’s neighbor Bedford Hall. Lorca Coffee Bar is still there with much of the same crew and most of the same menu. Leyla lives in Wilton with her husband, 2 young children and a dog named Addy.

Bilal Aslam is a pharmacist by training and an entrepreneur with a passion for coffee, community, and bringing people together. Growing up in Connecticut, Bilal and his siblings combined their love for coffee and community building to bring MOTW Coffee & Pastries to their home state. Together, they have grown MOTW across multiple Connecticut locations, gaining hands-on experience in entrepreneurship, business development, operations, and team building. Bilal is passionate about creating meaningful community spaces and is excited to support and celebrate the next generation of young entrepreneurs.

Zainab Aslam holds a Master’s in Public Health and has experience in health insurance and Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR). Aside from that, her passion for coffee and entrepreneurship has led her to co-own MOTW Coffee with her siblings, where she combines her professional background with her love for creating meaningful experiences and building community through coffee.

Matthew Krieger is a technologist and executive with experience in IT, manufacturing and nonprofit. He is Owner and President of Cober, Inc., an industrial heating equipment manufacturer that provides large scale oven systems to companies such as Proctor and Gamble, Corning and GE. Previously, Matthew held senior IT leadership positions at Time and the Reader’s Digest Association in the roles of division CTO, global data center management, strategy and governance. Matthew also founded and built Whysper, an audio platform that converts text content into high-quality text-to-speech. Matthew is Chairman of the Board of the Reader’s Digest Partners for Sight Foundation, a non-profit grant maker focusing on direct services to increase the independence of blind and visually impaired individuals. Matthew serves on the board of the International Microwave Power Institute and advises Tech 2 Success, Cyber-Seniors, and Kids in the Game. He is also a frequent presenter on topics of business and technology and the intersection of them. Matthew has a Master of Science in Computer Science from NYU Poly and a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of Connecticut.

Jehangir Hafiz is the founder and owner of WorkWithAI.com, an AI consulting firm that helps small and midsize businesses understand how AI is transforming the business landscape and develop practical strategies for operating in an increasingly AI driven world.

Before founding WorkWithAI.com, Jehangir spent a decade helping early stage startups launch and operate their businesses, supporting companies from their early beginnings through Series A.