The Startup Academy
The Startup Academy is a local nonprofit 501(c)3 tax exempt organization founded in April of 2017, with a mission is to inspire students to create their futures through entrepreneurship.
Flash back to your senior year of high school. You arrive at your first class and while your teacher may have a great lesson plan prepared, you are struggling not to think about how nice it would be to crawl back into bed. You proceed from class to class and find opportunities to sit with friends, doodle, or daydream. Anything to get you to the end of the school day when you can start doing the things that are important to you.
This type of experience rings true to many past and current high school students, but shouldn’t there be a better way?
Meet Josh, a high school student in Utah Valley and a participant of The Startup Academy. Josh and his peers started a small business within their school and has since kicked off his own photography business. These experiences have pushed him to get outside of his comfort zone, learn new skills, and discover a purpose behind his education.
Too often in our school system, students are required to follow instructions and memorize information they were never interested in. Because of this, students become experts at identifying the least amount of work they can do to jump through the required hoops. This type of education doesn’t prepare students for the workplace or the real world.
We, as a society, are failing our students unless we change the education that our kids are receiving. Education is meant to help people take ownership of their time and their lives. The Startup Academy is doing this by giving students the freedom to build a business or organization in the real world of their choosing. By enabling them to pursue something that they are passionate about, students research and learn because the success of their business requires it.
The Startup Academy is a local nonprofit 501(c)3 tax exempt organization founded in April of 2017. Their mission is to inspire students to create their futures through entrepreneurship.
During the summer of 2017, The Startup Academy piloted their program with a small group of students. Since then, The Startup Academy has worked with 5 different Utah Valley schools to provide entrepreneurial experiences for their students.
The Merit Academy was the first school to open its doors to The Startup Academy. Jesse Meeks, Director at The Merit Academy, said, “The young men and women who participate in the Startup Academy class learn presentation skills, get evaluated, and become familiar with responding to market successes and failures. They also learn to cope with people and how they make decisions with their money. There is nothing better than our students having to make decisions based on reality and not just theory. The Startup Academy brings real world experiences in business and entrepreneurship to our students. Some of those students have already started their own real businesses after going through the program.”
Josh Nelson, one of the students from The Merit Academy said that he “loved this class more than any other class this year,” and added, “I learned how to start a business. Which I never thought was possible for someone my age.”
Helping students feel confident in their ability to start and operate a small business is a key motivator for The Startup Academy. Travis Lish, CEO of the Academy said, “We believe that each person has the capacity to create something that can change the world. We call upon all young adults to become change-makers, innovators, and creators to build a better future for themselves, and their communities.”
The Startup Academy is the one-stop shop for teens who are aspiring entrepreneurs. Students are surrounded by peers who are like-minded creating a powerful culture. Mentors help students along the entrepreneurial journey by aiding them through the process of research, ideation, acquiring funds, filing legal paperwork, and operation.
The Startup Academy’s program offerings are designed to spark the fire of entrepreneurship and help students turn their ideas into reality. This summer, the Academy is inviting all youth between the ages of 14–21 to participate in the Summer Bootcamp.
The nonprofit’s value, in large part, comes from the knowledge and experience that is freely shared with them by local entrepreneurs and professionals. The Startup Academy accepts new volunteer mentors who are looking to share their knowledge with the rising generation.
Students interested in the program, or entrepreneurs looking to volunteer as a mentor should visit The Startup Academy website at www.thestartupacademy.org. The Startup Academy looks forward to working together to build the future of our community.
