Interest in entrepreneurship and business is higher than ever among the younger crowd. Yet, the knowledge for it isn’t always easy to obtain for them as some schools don’t cover these subjects.
Luckily, there are dedicated business summer programs and camps that strive to teach kids about starting a business, marketing, and making it as an entrepreneur. The skills learned at these pre college programs wouldn’t otherwise be learned in school and will help them in the future no matter what path they decide to take.
Although they might not quality for college credit, the experienced gained is well worth it for the students. If you have an ambitious child with an interest in business, finance, or entrepreneurship, check out these top-notch business summer camps and programs.
Best Business & Entrepreneurship Summer Camps
1. LaunchX
LaunchX is one of the top high school entrepreneurship summer programs, equipping students with the skills and mindset to launch a real company. Students are challenged to grow their entrepreneurial mindset and given the confidence to gain real traction with their startups. At LaunchX, students are trained with the skills and innovative thinking that allows them to create a successful business.
Ambitious high school students can meet other like-minded people and learn from industry experts. Students gain hands-on experience working in teams to create authentic products and business solutions.
Their online entrepreneurship summer camp provides everything from a structure, steps, and a supportive environment for young entrepreneurs. A rigorous and tested process is followed to ensure the success of the students who participate.
2. Summer Discovery
The Summer Discovery Inc. Magazine Young Entrepreneurs’ summer program helps teach the world’s next business leaders. The pre-college programs are hosted at the prestigious University of Michigan and NYU and accept students in grades 9th through 12th. Teenagers create a business from scratch by coming up with an idea, writing a business plan, and pitching it to successful business owners and leaders.
They host routine guest speakers so that students can learn from experienced entrepreneurs. With teachers that include elite business instructors and business executives, students learn from the best at how to create a successful business.
Through hands-on activities and real-world scenarios, students gain the knowledge and connections to one day create their own business impact in the world. The in-person programs last between 2 to 3 weeks, with sessions running from June to July. Summer Discovery also offers other programs like a Business Innovation Academy and Advertising & American Culture.
3. World Scholars Academy
The World Scholars Academy offers business courses for kids ages 12 to 18. A wide selection of topics are covered in the courses, with subjects like marketing, economics, entrepreneurship, investment strategy, and several others. Their two programs, World Business Academy and Discover Business Academy, are based on your age group.
The prestigious online classes last two weeks and are made up of live sessions. Each class is two hours long and occurs during the weekdays. Students will have the opportunity to work on projects with each other, receive expert feedback, work on assignments, and can even get a future letter of recommendation. Recordings of every class are also made available to participants
Students are taught by the instructor Gerard H. Dericks, who has a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and who was worked with some of the biggest companies in the world. Participants will receive two 1 on 1 learning sessions with him. High school students will additionally have the opportunity to participate on a World Scholars Academy Team in the 2023 Wharton Global High School Investment Contest in the Fall.
4. Launched For Life
Launched For Life’s programming is specifically designed to provide the foundational tools necessary to navigate the transition to college, the workforce, or entrepreneurial endeavors. The organization’s premier camp program, Camp BizLIFE, welcomes young adults ages 14-19 for a week in North Carolina with day-only or overnight experiences.
Part business school, part summer camp, Camp BizLIFE is a summer camp with substance! Operated on college campuses, Camp BizLIFE™ gives campers a glimpse into their future of “adulting” by providing the opportunity to experience living away from parents and learning to conduct themselves responsibly.
Campers participate in interactive workshops on budgeting and money management, healthy living and self-care, business ideation and development, entrepreneurial mindset, negotiation techniques and more. Additionally, campers attend off-site field trips that provide lessons in household management, business ownership, and etiquette.
All Launched For Life programs are facilitated by seasoned educators, business leaders, local entrepreneurs and subject-matter experts and encourage young adults to become mature, independent thinkers who embrace personal responsibility for successful living.
5. Wharton Global Youth Program
The Wharton Global Youth Program offers residential business programs in Philadelphia, PA, and San Francisco, CA. These immersive camps are designed for 9th to 11th-grade students and focus on innovation, finance, leadership, data science, entrepreneurship, and other business topics.
They’re led by industry professionals or a Wharton School Faculty member. Throughout the day, students can expect lectures, small group discussions, projects and activities, and time to meet individually with program faculty. Each camp lasts around 2 weeks in June and July and takes place on the college campus. It’s an excellent way for students to connect with others with similar interests from all over the world.
Admission to these programs is highly selective. Students must carry a minimum of a 3.3 GPA, submit an essay and recommendation letters and demonstrate an array of extracurricular activities that demonstrate ambition and initiative. Wharton college also offers online programs that follow the same curriculum and are taught by similar staff. Children can earn college credits at one of the best business schools by enrolling in this program.
6. Camp BizSmart
Camp BizSmart focuses on helping kids become the entrepreneurs of the next generation. They offer two business summer programs for different age groups. The camp brings in powerful founders and executives from current companies to work alongside the campers. Meanwhile, judges and advisors also help out the kids.
For younger kids, typically middle school students and early high school students, between the age of 11-15, they offer a two-week summer program focusing on product design and business planning. Their second program for older teens between 16-19 lasts six days and focuses on designing and creating a product, plus also how to gain the necessary capital to make it a reality. It’s a perfect pre college summer program to gain valuable experience.
Currently, there are over 9,000 alumni and with a record of 15 years of inspiring young entrepreneurs. Early graduates are in careers as engineers, financial experts, and many more. They work at top companies, and startups, including one’s graduates have founded on their own.
They actively work together as teams to solve real-life business problems while building essential skills like design, marketing, financial literacy, and decision making all along the way.
7. Georgetown University Entrepreneurship Academy
The Entrepreneurship Academy at Georgetown University allows students to spend their day exploring a mix of field trips, activities, lectures, and more. This academy covers professional development and leadership, ethical business, diversity, risk management, and more.
Through the guidance of experienced business leaders and entrepreneurs, campers create a startup from start to finish and formulate a business plan that they end up pitching to the audience. Through their lessons, kids can build business, leadership, teamwork, networking, and communication skills.
Each student completes the Capstone Project to demonstrate critical thinking and explore solutions to complex problems. To be considered for the Entrepreneurship Academy, high school students must submit a 300-500 personal statement and provide the contact information for a guidance counselor or teacher who can speak to the student’s academic performance with a minimum GPA of 2.0 is required.
8. Business Is Global At Indiana University
Offered at the Indiana University campus in the Kelley School of Business, Business Is Global sets itself apart from other high school business programs through its unique offerings. Its focus is on international business with coverage of the languages and economies behind it.
High school students can learn about different economies and languages from around the world, including Brazil, North Africa, East Asia, and more. Kids learn about the different communication styles and cultures at each of these places. Students also learn the basics of business in the U.S. Through the activities and lessons, they gain networking, teamwork, and professional skills.
The days are divided by classes on business and languages learned. Students work on group projects, discussions, and interactive learning throughout the program. There is a final project at the end of the camp where families are welcome to attend the presentation. The business summer camp runs for two weeks with everything, including food and accommodations included.
9. E-seedling Business and Entrepreneurship Camp
If your child is interested in creating their own business and making their own money, this one-week half-day camp can help them turn their idea into a business.
They will learn what an entrepreneur is (and how they think), how to choose a business idea that they can start now, branding, marketing, sales, financials, and business operations (through playing the Biz Ops Game). Kids will create a one-page visual business plan and elevator pitch and present it to their campmates.
Even if your child doesn’t become an entrepreneur, these lifelong skills of creativity, problem solving and growth mindset thinking can help them in any career path they choose.
Campers can choose from AM or PM and in-person or virtual options. Although not specifically for high school students, the camp is more suited for kids ages 10-14. There are also limited needs-based scholarships available.
10. Girls With Impact
If you want your daughter to stand out from the crowd when it comes to college admissions or in her future career in the business world, the Girls With Impact business summer programs offer her an opportunity to do something unique and have fun while doing it!
In their summer programs, she can build a venture, meet friends and learn valuable skills. This includes things like:
- Creating a business venture from her existing passions.
- Creating a business prototype and how to present a pitch.
- Receive a certificate for completing the program and also earn school service hours.
Girls With Impact is helping to create the next generation of female leaders and innovators. It’s a perfect pre college program for high school students and even for younger girls, since it’s aimed at those 12-18 years old. At their summer camps, students learn all there is about essential business concepts.
11. LSTM Summer Startup
LSTM summer startup is an excellent choice if you have an ambitious teen that wants to start their own business someday. This 30-day virtual business camp offers a hands-on approach for learning how to validate a business idea, write a basic one-page business plan and find customers. Teens learn how to start traditional businesses like babysitting or landscaping to digital businesses like a YouTube Channel or becoming a social media influencer.
They’ll have access to live group coaching, one-on-one consultation with business advisors, and access to a community of like-minded teenagers to support and motivate them. Not to mention how starting a business can make for a great addition to a college admissions portfolio.