BUILD Media Kit.

BUILD Media Kit.

Discover key facts, team information, media coverage, and creative assets about BUILD.org here. 

Got questions? Please contact Shefali Billon at 415-706-4397. 

The Organization Overview

The Organization Overview

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Students Reached

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Mentors And Volunteers

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Teachers Trained

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School And Community-Based Organizations

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Students Served

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Teachers Trained

1

Mentors And Volunteers

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School And CBO Partners

Impact data is from FY22 (the 2021-22 school year). 

BUILD.org is an entrepreneurship program for underserved high school students that teaches them how to build their own business while becoming the CEO of their own lives. BUILD was founded in 1999 in East Palo Alto, CA, by Suzanne McKechnie Klahr. Suzanne was teaching free adult entrepreneurship classes in this highly under-resourced community when, one evening, four high school students walked in. They wanted to drop out of high school and start a t-shirt company. Suzanne offered to help, but only if the four youth agreed to stay in school.

With Suzanne’s guidance, these four young men graduated high school on time, earned bachelor’s degrees, and embarked on successful careers. This chance encounter changed the trajectory of their lives, and from there, BUILD was born. Since then, BUILD has equipped over 10,000 high school students across the United States to launch more than 2,000 real businesses. Furthermore, BUILD has over 70 staff members across regional and national sites. 

Mission Statement:

Ignite the power of youth in under-resourced communities to build Career success, Entrepreneurial mindsets, and Opportunity.

We help students become the CEO of their own lives!

Our Regions

Our Regions

Bill Taylor, CEO

Bill Taylor joins BUILD after a 22-year journey at NAF, a national educational nonprofit focused on providing experiential learning for students from high-need communities.  As CEO, Taylor will lead an effort to bring entrepreneurship education to more underserved communities across the United States. Taylor is deeply aligned with BUILD’s mission, drawing also on his background as a high school educator in New York City. He graduated with a sociology degree from State University of New York, Geneseo. 

Thais Rezende, President

Thais Rezende joins BUILD from BizWorld, having formerly spent the last eight years as BizWorld’s CEO. Rezende holds an unwavering commitment to making economic opportunities and entrepreneurship education accessible to all students, particularly those from traditionally underserved and underrepresented backgrounds. For eight years, she has led the growth of innovative programming and the organizational expansion at Women’s Initiative for Self Employment. Thais resides with her husband and three daughters in Seattle.

BUILD's Awards And Recognitions

Download a Sample of Our Curriculum

Fill out this form to receive a free sample of our curriculum and to receive occasional email updates on how to bring BUILD to your community.

VIDEO PREPARATION GUIDELINES

HOW TO RECORD

1. iPhone, iPad, Zoom and Loom are all choices of recording tools for their video presentation 
2. Record with both students and their presentation in view
3. Record horizontally for the best view of the students and their presentation
4. Follow Presentation Diagram to the Right

PRESENTATION TIPS.

- Make eye contact with the camera
- Notecards may be used as cue cards
•Pro Tip: Notecards should avoid having a full script
- Even when you are not speaking, don’t forget the camera is still recording!
•Be aware of your body language while you and your business partners are speaking
- Everyone has an opportunity to speak
- Professional dress is encouraged
- Practice makes perfect
•Practice how you will transition from each speaker
•Project your voice when you speak​

Follow positioning format Above

Download a Sample of Our Curriculum

Fill out this form to receive a free sample of our curriculum and to receive occasional email updates on how to bring BUILD to your community.