Teens ‘venture’ from classroom to boardroom
Main Street Ventures shapes next-gen entrepreneurs at UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub
It’s never too early to acquire skills to help shape your future.
This belief lies at the heart of the University of Cincinnati’s 1819 Innovation Hub, whose mission is to empower the innovative ideas of aspiring visionaries by providing them with essential support and resources.
Main Street Ventures (MSV), a corporate partner of the 1819 Innovation Hub, shares a dedication to leveling the entrepreneurial playing field in Greater Cincinnati.
Understanding the importance of early exposure to entrepreneurship, MSV is committed to nurturing the next generation of innovators through its Inventure Entrepreneurship Academy.
Now in its third year, the one-week program was held at the 1819 Innovation Hub. The Inventure Entrepreneurship Academy is an immersive program for high school students that fosters a vibrant ecosystem for young minds, inspiring them to make a lasting impact on society. This is a testament to MSV’s mission and positive influence on our community.
Sean Parker. Photo/Main Street Ventures
“With Inventure Entrepreneurship Academy, high school students gain firsthand the skills essential for building a business,” Main Street Ventures Executive Director Sean Parker said. “It’s one thing to have a great idea, it’s another to take it to the next step of creating a business plan and then the step after that and the step after that. We provide students the chance to learn from local startup experts, providing them with a solid foundation to take those steps to transform innovative concepts into real-life businesses.”
As a leader in providing entrepreneurial support through funding, community connections and startup programs throughout the Tri-State region, it makes sense that MSV would curate an opportunity for teens to proactively sow seeds of future success through the Inventure Entrepreneurship Academy.
As part of the program, participating students were introduced to the entrepreneurial process; students began laying the foundation for their ventures by exploring ideas and receiving vital foundational knowledge.
Students attend the Inventure program. Photo/Main Street Ventures
Corporate industry professionals and educators served as coaches, mentors and workshop leaders, sharing insights and best practices related to an entrepreneurial mindset. This helped students gain valuable leadership skills in the following areas:
- Developing and cultivating entrepreneurial ideas
- Problem-solving
- Generating innovative ideas
- Creating business models
Students gained the opportunity to engage with entrepreneurial influencers they might never have encountered otherwise, making the Inventure experience immensely valuable. At the end of the program, these high schoolers put their newly acquired knowledge into practice by pitching venture ideas and competing for prize money to help kick-start their entrepreneurial journeys and bring their visions to life.
Featured image at top: A group of students attend the Inventure Entrepreneurship Academy program. Photo/Main Street Ventures
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