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Former Greenwich high school students help small businesses grow their platform

Veda Swaminathan and Aarya Dhru started the i3 Competition to give small businesses a leg up. It connects current high school students with business owners to develop apps, social media platforms, or websites.

Leanna Wells

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Oct 27, 2026, 5:03 PM

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In a digitally driven world, being online means you can be connected to so many things - even if they aren't near you.

Veda Swaminathan and Aarya Dhru founded the i3 Competition to give small businesses a boost and grow their online platform. It's completely virtual.

"When students grow up using things like social media, and apps, there's a lot of skills that they learn, but no real place to use them. I think a lot of businesses really need that help when it comes to digital technology, and they need to be online," said Dhru.

They started the initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, over 200 businesses and students have participated.

"The students start immediately in January working with the businesses, and then over the course of four months, they work with their mentors as well to workshop ideas and brainstorm," Swaminathan said.

The competition has helped businesses all across the United States, and in three other countries. It's free for business owners to join the competition.

Registration for next year's competition ends on Dec. 1.

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