Episcopal School of Baton Rouge junior Akachi Mere recently earned startup funding through the Young Entrepreneurs Academy of Baton Rouge (YEA BR) for a business idea called Frost Armor. After pitching the concept to a panel of judges, Akachi was awarded $4,000 to help launch the product. “Frost Armor is a lightweight, flexible cooling strip that can be applied anywhere on the body,” Akachi explains. “It provides an instant cooling effect by using materials that create an endothermic reaction. The idea was inspired by a week during my cross-country season when it was so hot we couldn’t practice outside. I wrote it down in a small notebook and ended up sticking with it.” With funding secured, Akachi plans to continue developing Frost Armor.

This article was originally published in June 2025.