Sixteen-year-old Jack Uesugi of Wahiawa has landed in second place in a nationwide online contest to support young entrepreneurs. Uesugi, a junior at Island Pacific Academy, and the originator of ‘a1000x,’ a clothing and product line, has won a $2,000 prize from VerticalResponse in the company’s recent ‘Next Teen Tycoon’ online video contest. Uesugi will be able to use the cash to help grow his business.

Uesugi’s business, ‘A Thousand Times,” partners with Hawaii-based artists to help market their designs on clothing and other merchandise while participating in social entrepreneurship. A portion of the profits are given back to social causes.

Connie Sung Moyle of VerticalResponse said in a statement that Uesugi bested nearly 40 other contestants to win second place. She said the contest is aimed at uncovering America’s “next business superstars.”

Uesugi noted that he chose his company name for a very particular reason. “It’s called a Thousand Times because whatever you do in life, you want to do it big,” he said in a statement. “You want to do it a thousand times better and put a thousand times more effort into it. You’ll find that, in the end, you’ll get the same in return.”

To see Uesugi’s contest entry, go to www.verticalresponse.com/TeenTycoon.