In the News

The Heights Business Incubator program sets students up in teams to target a problem, research a solution and pitch it to investors in the style of ABC’s hit TV show “Shark Tank.” Students will spend the academic year working with business leaders and vying for money to launch their innovation.

Alamo Heights High School students will vie for $10,000 – and bragging rights – in a “Shark Tank” style competition that will take them through the group process of becoming a startup.

MacArthur High School in the Irving Independent School District is getting ready to break ground on a School of Business and Entrepreneurship. The addition will expand a program that is giving high school students a step up the business ladder.” I get the satisfaction of seeing the future in my classroom,” said Kelley Watson, who leads the Incubator 2 program. The class teaches advanced business students how to start a business — from plan, to pitch, to funding, to launch.

CHICAGO — One after another, five teams of entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a panel of judges, all vying for a $20,000 prize and to potentially make their dreams a reality. But this isn’t a reality show – it’s a high school competition.

A business model developed through a think tank at Buffalo Grove High School continues to grow, even as its student entrepreneurs prepare to leave for college.  As sophomores, Jackie Molloy, Nicole Relias and Shayna Reznikov developed the idea of an all-natural, de-skunking kit for dogs. They came up with their idea after Relias’ dog, Bella, a golden doodle, had been skunked four times.

Preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow is tough work. With changes happening in the job marketplace each year, giving students hands-on experiences is key to future success. That’s why schools are constantly innovating and developing new curricula that prepare students for the future.

A group gathers in a corner conference room to discuss the challenges of how to bring its business idea MeltWell, a throat lozenge in the form of a thin strip that dissolves on the tongue, to market.

As a grunge-rock instrumental walk-up song blares through the speakers, a team of high school students in business professional dress ascend the stairs of the stage at Varidesk headquarters in Coppell.

Developing a viable business was the goal of the students who decided to take a business incubator class at Deerfield High School back in August. At the end of the year, one of 15 teams would be selected as the winner in a "Shark Tank"-style competition among the 69 budding entrepreneurs.

It’s a mission of the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce to support entrepreneurship and help businesses get started. One example is the Incubatoredu program at Rock Island High School.