Sparking Entrepreneurialism for UCS high school students

This fall, students at Stevenson and Henry Ford II High Schools will have the unique opportunity to step into the world of entrepreneurship through SparkLab, an 8-week program designed to ignite creativity, innovation, and business acumen.
Powered through a partnership with SIGU Capital (Royal Oak, MI) and KMI Family Ventures (Birmingham, MI), SparkLab equips students with hands-on experience in building a business from the ground up.
“Students will pick a business idea – service or product – name it, build a logo and a marketing scheme,” said Nate Guinane, SIGU Capital co-founder. “At the end everything will culminate to an eight-minute presentation, Shark Tank style with judges.”
Students will split into groups and present in multiple rounds to judges in the hopes of winning a share of $15,000 in prizes.
The SparkLab curriculum combines classroom collaboration with over 40 on-demand video modules from 12 different subject matter experts. Students will gain exposure to key areas such as strategy, finance, marketing, leadership, and storytelling — all skills that extend far beyond entrepreneurship and into future career paths.
By the end of the eight weeks, students will have a full business plan, branding package, operations strategy, financial projections and a compelling story.
“Our vision with SparkLab is to give students real-world experience at an earlier stage in life,” Guinane. “It’s about more than just entrepreneurialism. It’s about opening their eyes to possibility, empowering them with tools, and building confidence in whatever path they choose.”
This collaboration with Stevenson and Henry Ford II will be SparkLab’s pilot program. The organization hopes to expand the program following this year’s pilot.

Source: Utica Community Schools

Superintendent Robert S. Monroe

Http://www.uticak12.org