BUILD in Boston’s Third Annual Open House Event

On January 20^th, students, mentors and friends to BUILD gathered to witness our Downtown Youth Business Incubator in action!

Ayele Shakur, BUILD in Boston’s Regional Executive Director, kicked off BUILD in Boston’s third annual Open House with an overview of BUILD’s 4-year program model. BUILD begins as an in-school elective course in the 9^th grade, and then moves to an after-school program in the 10^th, 11^th and 12^th grades.

At all grade levels BUILD students learn how to pitch and sell their own products, while simultaneously receiving the academic tutoring they need to succeed in high school, college and beyond.

On Monday, guests made their way around our Youth Business Incubator to visit our young entrepreneurs and their student business teams. Student business team, B-Ties, conducted market research on a new line of products. Glassics, another one of our teams, asked guests for feedback on their product demo and pitch.

“Closing Circle”, a BUILD in Boston tradition, brought our guests, mentors and students together to share shining moments from the evening. Gaming Generations CEO, Martin, gave a shout out to his teammates for coming together and showing grit in manufacturing their product for the event.

BUILD’s founder and CEO, Suzanne McKechnie Klahr, was able to join us for the evening and share BUILD’s plans for growth. Suzanne, affectionately known to our students as “CEO lady”, provided guests with direction and vision for BUILD’s national expansion.

Missed the event? Interested in learning more about BUILD? Check out our Volunteer page for more information on ways to get involved.

Thank you to our friends at The Chicken and Rice Guys for providing delicious food for the event! We truly appreciate all you do to support our students.