BUILD Metro DC
“A critical feature for our U.S. Capital city is in engaging students from under-resourced communities through our four-year entrepreneurship, business development, and post-secondary readiness model”.
1,802
Students Served
624
Mentors
323
Youth Businesses
37
Teachers Trained
PROBLEM:
A student’s opportunity is too often limited by their zip code, race and class.
the build story
IN Metro DC.
Since its launch in 2009, BUILD Metro DC has been a critical feature for the city in engaging students from under-resourced communities through our four-year entrepreneurship, business development, and post-secondary readiness model. In partnership with DCPS and charter schools, we virtually serve 180 students at five high schools in the District of Columbia. We operate digital business incubators, in which student business teams launch and run their very own startups.
BUILD students are provided individualized academic support and business coaching, supported by professional mentors who work with our young entrepreneurs on a weekly basis. BUILD staff and volunteers cultivate our students’ business, academic, and life skills to prepare them for high school, college, and career success.
Mrs. Ponder
Mrs. Ponder is a Metro D.C BUILD teacher who works at Theodore Roosevelt High School. She was featured in BUILD’s 2020-2021 Annual Report for her passion, warmth, and excellency as an eduator.
Jalen
Jalen Jahn is a Metro D.C contributor and incubator program alum who is an esteemed fashion, footwear designer and entrepreneur from Atlanta, GA. He is the founder of his eponymous luxury streetwear brand.
Candle Essentials
Candle Essentials is a BUILD student-started business that solves the issue of single-scented candles with a unique, innovative solution. Watch their story to find out what they did!
Thank You to Our Partners
updates & events.
America’s Young Entrepreneurs Shine at BUILDFest 2025: A National Celebration of Youth-Led Innovation
As BUILD.org embarks on its 25th year, it proudly showcases the next generation of entrepreneurial changemakers through its innovative BUILDFest events in Bay Area, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Boston, and New York City over the next month. BUILD, a national nonprofit organization, is on a mission to use entrepreneurship to ignite the potential of youth from under-resourced communities, enabling them to build career success, entrepreneurial mindsets, and opportunity. BUILDFest events serve as vibrant celebrations of the transformational power of youth entrepreneurship, redefining education and creating opportunities for middle and high school students in under-resourced communities.
BUILD.org CEO Thais Rezende Joins The Entrepreneurship Education Coalition on Capitol Hill
On April 28, 2025, BUILD.org’s very own CEO, Thais Rezende, was a part of the Entrepreneurship Education Coalition in Washington, D.C., in a high-impact congressional briefing titled “What is Entrepreneurship […]
BUILD.org Hosts Youth Entrepreneurship Competitions Nationwide to Celebrate 25 Years of Empowering Youth and Educators
As BUILD.org embarks on its 25th year, it proudly showcases the next generation of entrepreneurial changemakers through its innovative BUILDFest events in Bay Area, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Boston, and New York City over the next month. BUILD, a national nonprofit organization, is on a mission to use entrepreneurship to ignite the potential of youth from under-resourced communities, enabling them to build career success, entrepreneurial mindsets, and opportunity. BUILDFest events serve as vibrant celebrations of the transformational power of youth entrepreneurship, redefining education and creating opportunities for middle and high school students in under-resourced communities.
BUILDing DC Monthly Newsletter
We are beyond thrilled with the way that we have been able to engage and support DC students over the past 12 months. We have seen some truly incredible student […]
BUILD.org Announces the Winning Team of the BUILDFest Metro DC Pitch Challenge
BUILD.org declared the winning high school team, Choice 1 Landz from Roosevelt S.T.A.Y. Academy, the first-place winner of the 2023 BUILDFest Metro D.C. Youth Pitch Challenge. The final round of […]
BUILD Showcases Youth Entrepreneurship Competitions Across The Nation For Cash Prizes and Start-Up Funds
Official Press Release Redwood City, CA – April 19, 2023 – BUILD.org showcases the next generation of entrepreneurial student leaders and changemakers through its innovative BUILDFest events around the Nation […]the build Metro DC Team.
Danielle Staggs
Greg Williams
Donovan Tyson
Carrie Miller
Rachel Vas
Dora Gougoufkas
Justin Bodner
Andrea Dimarco
Timothy Garnett
Gregory Hendler
Adeleke Omitowoju
Kevin Perry
David Toney
Patrick Van den Bossche
Grant Williams
Metro DC.
headquarters
2202 18th St NW #104, Washington,
DC 20009, United States
Mailing
2202 18th Street NW, #104
Washington, DC 20009
Contact
Storytelling
