Business & Technology
VCHS Course Catalog
Business Courses
Entrepreneurship (H)
What are the key factors in the process of creating a company? What fundamental knowledge and skills do entrepreneurs need to develop an idea into a business opportunity? The Entrepreneurship Honors course provides students in grades 10-12 the ability to go through the planning and development process to launch their own startup during this yearlong, project-based course. Students will build upon the lessons and skills learned in the Business Fundamentals course and work through the process from ideation to product development.
As part of this course, all students will participate in the President’s Business Challenge competition, allowing them to pitch their ideas to seasoned Silicon Valley venture capitalists. Students will interact with top industry leaders through personal mentoring as they go through the process from concept to launch. They will gain valuable experience in teamwork and collaboration as they learn to problem-solve and develop innovative business solutions that are viable, profitable, scalable, and sustainable. The end product will be a formal pitch deck that identifies their problem/opportunity, solution/product, TAM (total addressable market), go-to-market strategy, pro forma income statements, product brochure, and mock prototype.
Students will use a variety of curricula such as Entrepreneurship, Practice, and Mindset by Professor Heidi Neck at Babson College and/or Disciplined Entrepreneurship developed by Professor Bill Aulet at the MIT Center for Entrepreneurship and go through the 24 steps to take their startup idea from inception to implementation.
Additional Expectations: As with other advanced academic courses, students can expect two to three hours of homework per week. There are also 3 mandatory events outside of the classroom, these include the Mentorship Kickoff event, and semi-final/final rounds of the President’s Business Challenge, and BEI showcase.
As part of this course, all students will participate in the President’s Business Challenge competition, allowing them to pitch their ideas to seasoned Silicon Valley venture capitalists. Students will interact with top industry leaders through personal mentoring as they go through the process from concept to launch. They will gain valuable experience in teamwork and collaboration as they learn to problem-solve and develop innovative business solutions that are viable, profitable, scalable, and sustainable. The end product will be a formal pitch deck that identifies their problem/opportunity, solution/product, TAM (total addressable market), go-to-market strategy, pro forma income statements, product brochure, and mock prototype.
Students will use a variety of curricula such as Entrepreneurship, Practice, and Mindset by Professor Heidi Neck at Babson College and/or Disciplined Entrepreneurship developed by Professor Bill Aulet at the MIT Center for Entrepreneurship and go through the 24 steps to take their startup idea from inception to implementation.
Additional Expectations: As with other advanced academic courses, students can expect two to three hours of homework per week. There are also 3 mandatory events outside of the classroom, these include the Mentorship Kickoff event, and semi-final/final rounds of the President’s Business Challenge, and BEI showcase.
Additional Course Details
- Enrollment space is limited in this class.
- This course is a DECA approved course.
| Course Number | 0903 |
| Grade Level | 10,11,12 |
| Pre-Requisite | Grade of "A" in Business Fundamentals AND completion of the application below. |
| Application and/or Audition Date | Apply by March 1st. Click here to fill out the application. Contact Mr. Weiner <mweiner@vcs.net> with any questions. |
| Credits | 10 |
| VCHS Graduation Credit | Elective |
| UC Approval | Yes Area G (General Elective-Interdisciplinary) |
| Fees | $250 Course & Program Fee (does not include textbook) |