Binghamton High School seniors Stephen Chomyszak and Alex Lisio are not your typical high school students, both are representatives of the sales team for local startup ProTech. 

The company was founded through New Visions Business Academy, and it's focused on helping drivers on the road.

"Before school even started, we talked about many different products that could be a possibility and something that we really like was the car kit," Chomyszak said. 

At the beginning of the school year, the group of high schoolers from Broome and Tioga County decided the company would be about protecting people, something everyone felt passionate about.

Each kit consists of two main items: An emergency car kit featuring items to help with issues like a dead battery and a self-defense key chain to help drivers in scenarios like cars going underwater.

Beginning sales back in October 2024, the two seniors say they knew the product would be a hit.

"When we started ordering our products, we ordered 100 keychains, car kits, keychains, came here, waste sooner, so we sold out of those a lot faster. Then, the car kits sold out in the last few days," Chomyszak said. 

The startup has netted over $4,600, which was used to support local organizations and charities like CHOW, Broome County Humane Society, and Toys for Tots. Just as valuable for the two seniors is giving young drivers added safety.

"Another big thing for us was we're all teenagers who are driving by ourselves all the time, and you don't want to end up in a situation where you would need one of those things and you don't have it," Lisio said. "That's really where like the booklet that we put inside the car came into play"