The INCubatoredu program offers students an authentic entrepreneurship experience. In this program, students have the opportunity to create and fully develop their own product or service. Real entrepreneurs and business experts serve as volunteer coaches and mentors guiding student teams through the Lean Startup processes of developing hypotheses about a business concept, testing those hypotheses, adapting, and continually learning and improving. This cycle of experimentation is combined with foundational business topics such as marketing and finance.
Students who have successfully completed the program have shared:
“Tell your students that what they're doing right now is exactly what they do in at a college level entrepreneurship class at UNC-Chapel Hill (which was just voted the leading entrepreneurship university in the country this summer).”
“I just wanted to say thank you for how much the incubator program has prepared me for school (Indiana University). Already, I am way ahead of everyone around me in my business classes … an incredible feeling. So far everything we are going over I have already learned whether it be about giving a business presentation, working with financial models, or developing a business plan.”
“I hope everyone else feels the same as I do about what this program has done for me. I just wanted to say thank you…the experience I received that truly has changed who I am as a person.”
As an outcome, students will develop the necessary skills for the 21st Century economy including:
•adaptability
•collaboration
•critical thinking
•creativity
•problem solving
INCubatoredu creates a foundational experience for high school students who will study entrepreneurship and business in college as well as for those students who enter the workforce after graduating from high school.
“Tell your students that what they're doing right now is exactly what they do in at a college level entrepreneurship class at UNC-Chapel Hill (which was just voted the leading entrepreneurship university in the country this summer).”
“I just wanted to say thank you for how much the incubator program has prepared me for school (Indiana University). Already, I am way ahead of everyone around me in my business classes … an incredible feeling. So far everything we are going over I have already learned whether it be about giving a business presentation, working with financial models, or developing a business plan.”
“I hope everyone else feels the same as I do about what this program has done for me. I just wanted to say thank you…the experience I received that truly has changed who I am as a person.”
As an outcome, students will develop the necessary skills for the 21st Century economy including:
•adaptability
•collaboration
•critical thinking
•creativity
•problem solving
INCubatoredu creates a foundational experience for high school students who will study entrepreneurship and business in college as well as for those students who enter the workforce after graduating from high school.
Students are Taught by a Team Volunteer coaches, mentors, and the classroom teacher. Coaches provide authentic business expertise in a specific area. They come into the classroom for a short period of time (2-5 days) to provide all students with a real-world context for a specific curricular area. The coach and classroom teacher plan and present together. The coach’s focus is on curricular content, not war stories. Mentors are assigned to one team and follow them through the entire process providing students with feedback and encouragement. The classroom teacher is a certified teacher that manages the class and volunteers as well as provides continuity. Authentic, Real-World Learning and Hands-On Problem Solving Over the course of the two semesters, students work in teams and learn by doing. They develop a business model canvas, gain market input on a minimum viable product, and iterate all elements to improve their business plan. The program culminates with a pitch to "investors". Student teams pitch their ideas to actual investors for funding to turn their business plans into reality during the summer and following school year. Blend of Lean Startup Process with Foundational Business Topics Required reading for the course is The Lean Startup by Eric Ries, which teaches entrepreneurship through innovation and trains students to learn what is working and what is not working in their businesses. Other suggested readings on the Lean Startup process include Running Lean by Ash Maurya, Business Model Generation by Alexander Osterwalder, and Why the Lean Startup Changes Everything by Steve Blank - Harvard Business Review. |