Startup Corps has partnered with organizations such as Mural Arts, the Urban Technology Project, and the School District of Philadelphia to deliver the Startup Corps experience in community centers and high schools across Philadelphia.
Cohorts of fifteen students meet once or twice a week for the duration of the school year. They are supported by a Startup Corps facilitator (one per cohort) and a team of mentor-entrepreneurs who work with students one to one.
Each program starts with facilitated student introspection: What are their strengths? Weaknesses? What do they value the most? What problems in the world, in their communities, or in a market are they most passionate about solving?
Once a student identifies a problem they wish to address, they devise a unique solution to solve it and are encouraged to take immediate action to develop the solution. How can they take steps toward proving or disproving the underlying assumptions of their plans? How can they attract the resources – talent, materials, information, relationships – to make their vision a reality?
Once this common problem-solving framework has been established, the program begins to layer on more discrete skill sets, such as goal setting, marketing, business development, networking and financial literacy, among others. The program also encourages students to test these new found skills outside of their schools and classrooms by talking with potential customers, partners, and attending conferences and networking events.
At the end of the year, students present the results of their actions at a city-wide youth entrepreneurship expo.
Help students turn their ideas into reality. Learn more about getting involved.