High school entrepreneurship course gains momentum

Sean Duffy and Wendy Rosenquist knew right away the entrepreneurship course they were taking at Elk Grove High School was unlike most business classes offered at the high school level.

In less than a year, the two students developed and launched a product, working alongside local entrepreneurs and experts in a variety of fields who helped them refine their business model and perfect their pitch for potential investors.

Now, Duffy and Rosenquist are expanding their original idea - an app called Údar that lets users across the world create stories together - to the elementary educational market as they prepare to study business in college.

"The networking and experiences gained in this class are essential for future success," said Duffy, a senior who will attend Harper College next fall. "This class has connected us to real-world resources and given us a huge advantage because of the experience and the processes we have gone through."

Launched in 2014, High School District 214's entrepreneurship program is designed to engage students in all aspects of building a business, from identifying and solving a problem to creating a business model and testing their product in the real world.

Coaches and mentors, who are often entrepreneurs rooted in the community, help along the way by co-teaching alongside District 214 teachers to bring increased relevancy into the classroom.

Pitching their product

That year's worth of critical thinking and collaboration will culminate at the annual Startup Showcase on Tuesday, May 17 at the Forest View Educational Center, where students will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges, including Brian Axelrad, partner in Horwood Marcus & Berk's Business and Finance Group, Margarita Geleske, executive director at INCubatoredu, Larry Moats, owner of Moats Office Properties and Max Temkin, co-creator of the game Cards Against Humanity.

Winners will receive financial awards toward their postsecondary success, funded by the District 214 Education Foundation.

Unlike other entrepreneurship curricula that focus on small business management, District 214's program looks at holistically planning a business before students spend funds, resources and time on their product, said Dan Weidner, the district's director of career and technical education.

The structure, called the Business Model Canvas, leads students from ideation to market testing to financial viability and evaluation of what the competition isn't offering, all in the first semester. By the start of second semester, students have developed a prototype of their product to further help them test their hypothesis.

"At this point, they now have the answers potential investors will want as opposed to some other traditional startups that may gather funding up front but don't have answers to the most fundamental questions," Weidner said.

In the following months, students develop a business structure and prepare for Startup Showcase, a Shark Tank-like competition that features some of the sharpest entrepreneurship teams from District 214 schools.

Coaches spend up to several days co-teaching a variety of topics integral for startups, including business law, marketing, web development, insurance, human resources and how to deliver a successful pitch to investors.

Mentors, who are often entrepreneurs, work with students as an extra resource to give support and advice as students progress throughout the class.

Rather than focusing solely on study materials, District 214's program encourages students to be creative and think of themselves as entrepreneurs, owners, and managers of an idea that is personal to them, said Sergey Koretskov, a business consultant with CloudCraze Software who served as a coach and mentor for students at Wheeling High School.

"The ability to be self-guided and directed toward a project of their choosing is an empowering one, and I believe that it provides early development of additional skills necessary in the business world," said Koretskov, who graduated from Buffalo Grove High School in 2007.

Along with Udar creators Rosenquist and Duffy, last year's Startup Showcase winners included Martin Dimitrov and Ryan Caulfield, who created SnapClips, innovative weight collars to help gym-goers secure free weights.

The Wheeling seniors used seed money provided by the Startup Showcase and a $2,500 grant from Incubator EDU to incorporate an LLC and start manufacturing SnapClips.

In February, Dimitrov and Caulfield raised more than $23,000 on Kickstarter to help fund and expand their product in gyms.

Last year's Startup Showcase winners included Martin Dimitrov, Vraj Dharia and Ryan Caulfield, who created SnapClips, weight collars that make it easy for gym-goers to secure free weights. In February, Dimitrov, Dharia and Caulfield received more than $23,000 in preorders on Kickstarter to help fund and expand their product into gyms and fitness centers around the globe.

At May's Startup Showcase, the top student team from each participating high school will pitch their innovative idea to judges. A sixth student group will be chosen by attendees during a networking event before the program.

Details demanded

Teams will be evaluated on a variety of metrics, including how clearly they describe and identify the problem and solution, their marketing and sales plans and description of their revenue models, among other criteria.

For Rosenquist and Duffy, the District's entrepreneurship program and StartUp Showcase helped prepare them for life beyond high school.

"The decisive decision-making you will develop or hone in this class is what makes the class worthwhile," said Rosenquist, who will also attend Harper College.

She added, "This class has taught us many things, including responsibility, passion, and teamwork."

If you go

Where: Forest View Educational Center Theater, 2121 S. Goebbert Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60005

When: May 17, 6 to 8:30 p.m.

• If you are interested in becoming involved as a mentor or coach, contact District 214 Director of Career and Technical Education Dan Weidner at dan.weidner@d214.org.

• If you would like to make a donation to support the program, contact District 214 Education Foundation Executive Director Erin Brooks at erin.brooks@d214.org.