BUILDing Futures
Teaching the next generation the entrepreneurial mindset and skills that will lead to college, career and life success.
Are you ready to BUILD?
Through the empowering experience of running a real business, students demonstrate increased proficiency in six critical competencies we call Spark Skills: Communication, Collaboration, Problem Solving, Innovation, Grit, and Self Management. Most importantly, BUILD students develop a vital sense of self-agency over their education and careers.
BUILD currently serves thousands of students in New York City, Boston, San Francisco Bay Area and Washington, DC with our 4-year model. Our continued growth is through our 1-year programs and virtual offerings nationwide. Our 1-year programs provide a turnkey experience for educators throughout the country with professional development and ongoing support.
Programs
BUILD's Thriving Communities Design Challenge
10 hours of engaging, culturally responsive, project-based digital content that inspires entrepreneurial innovation
- An immersive online experience for students, complete with a facilitators guide
- 2-hour training for teachers, school districts, and nonprofits organizations,
- Rated a 9+ by students and educators
- Create youth-driven solutions to promote mental and physical wellness amid the pandemic.
Explore Entrepreneurship
A flexible 6-unit, 14-lesson program that can be taught during the school day or after school to students grade 8 – 12.
Students will:
- Be introduced to an entrepreneurial growth mindset, and prototype a business
- Engage and have fun in a project-based experience incorporating 21st Century Skills
- Discover personal strengths & passions
- This class consists of a semester long introduction to Entrepreneurship and focuses on developing an entrepreneurial mindset, skill acquisition, and prototyping a business.
Entrepreneurship 1.0 and Entrepreneurship 2.0
Students will:
- Experience two powerful one-year programs that can be delivered as credit-bearing classes in grades 8 – 12.
- Ideate, create a pitch for funding, and run a real business
- Learn financial literacy, marketing, and scale a business
- Build social capital and regularly practice newly learned 21st century skills
BUILD 4-Year Program
BUILD’s unique program offers students a four-year entrepreneurship experience designed to reinforce the Common Core and develop 21st Century Skills. We connect our students to a powerful network of mentors who support them as they realize their potential and abilities. BUILD staff work closely with teachers by providing ongoing coaching on the day to day program facilitation. BUILD also provides mentorship from local businesses to support in the classroom. BUILD staff assist with all student events to include the Idea pitch, Funding Pitch, Sales Bazaar and Business Plan Competitions. BUILD’s 4 Year Program is currently offered in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA; Washington, DC; Boston, MA; and New York, NY.
Students will:
- Learn to become the CEO of their own lives through this immersive 4-year program
- Experience dynamic and relevant project-based learning and exercise 21st-century skills
- Solve real-world problems with support from BUILD staff, a strong educator, and corporate mentors
- Explore college & career options with the support of advisors and coaches who also provide the opportunity to build social capital
FAQ
Why is there a difference in the offerings in certain cities?
BUILD was founded in 1999 and developed a four year program. BUILD grew this program in Hub cities to include the San Francisco Bay Area, CA, Washington, DC, Boston, MA and New York, NY. We launched a satellite model in 2017 with the goal of impacting more students across the US. This model uses several years of our programming and provides “how to” playbooks on delivering the activities that BUILD staff would be responsible for in our Hub cities. The true cost of our Hub programs is over $100K a year per school/$3,000 per student and is supported by philanthropy. The Satellite model allows a cost effective approach for educators and enables BUILD’s impact to grow beyond our current engagements. BUILD is open to discussing adding new schools in our Hubs. Please contact us to discuss.
Is there a deadline to apply?
There is no deadline. It all depends on how easily and quickly your school and school district can approve new curriculum. The BUILD program can launch based on your schedule. Please complete the interest form and let us know your schedule.
Who teaches the curriculum in the classroom?
BUILD uses a train-the-trainer model and partners with a teacher on campus to teach the curriculum. Virtual teacher training is conducted annually before the school year begins, and teachers receive dedicated staff support and on-call assistance throughout the year.
Are teachers responsible for creating lesson plans?
Nope! BUILD offers a turnkey proprietary curriculum that has activities and lesson plans already built in.
What types of schools and community centers does BUILD work with?
The curriculum is designed specifically for grades 8 – 12. Our team has supported all kinds of schools – charter, private, public, independent, Montessori, etc. Our courses have also been used in afterschool programs and community centers.
How long does the program last?
Explore is a flexible 6-unit, 30-lesson program that can be taught during the school day or after school. It’s up to individual teachers to determine how long it takes their students to grasp the contents of each lesson.
Entrepreneurship 1.0 is a year-long, 14-unit curriculum that is taught during the school day. The Explore curriculum gives students a more comprehensive and thorough understanding of social entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurship 2.0 is a year-long, 12 units that are designed for schools that have implemented Entrepreneurship 1.0 and have advanced students launching ventures.
How much does the program cost?
The Explore program fee consists of a one time launch fee, annual licence fee and professional development and support for the educator fee.
- One time launch fee that covers the onboarding and orientation of the new partner is $2,500
- Curriculum license fee (includes the curriculum, guides, and resources for the teacher to effectively lead the program) is $2,500 per year.
- Teacher training and support fee (which helps to advance each teacher’s professional development) is discounted based on how many years the teacher has taught the program. A first-year teacher costs $2,500 to train and support, a second-year teacher costs $1,500 to train and support, and a third-year teacher costs $500 to train and support. Discounts are offered for multi-year contracts, the purchase of multiple programs, the training of 5+ teachers, and district wide integration.
The Entrepreneurship 1.0 program fee consists of a one time launch fee, annual licence fee and professional development and support for the educator fee.
- One time launch fee that covers the onboarding and orientation of the new partner is $5,000
- Curriculum license fee (includes the curriculum, guides, and resources for the teacher to effectively lead the program) is $5,000 per year.
- Teacher training and support fee (which helps to advance each teacher’s professional development) is discounted based on how many years the teacher has taught the program. A first-year teacher costs $5,000 to train and support, a second-year teacher costs $3,500 to train and support, and a third-year teacher costs $2,500 to train and support. Discounts are offered for multi-year contracts, the purchase of multiple programs, the training of 5+ teachers, and district wide integration.
The Entrepreneurship 2.0 program fee consists of an annual licence fee and professional development and support for the educator fee. The $5,000 one time launch fee is waived as Entrepreneurship 1.0 is a prerequisite for this program.
- Curriculum license fee (includes the curriculum, guides, and resources for the teacher to effectively lead the program) is $5,000 per year.
- Teacher training and support fee (which helps to advance each teacher’s professional development) is discounted based on how many years the teacher has taught the program. A first-year teacher costs $5,000 to train and support, a second-year teacher costs $3,500 to train and support, and a third-year teacher costs $2,500 to train and support. Discounts are offered for multi-year contracts, the purchase of multiple programs, the training of 5+ teachers, and district wide integration.
Do students actually launch their own venture?
The students launch a business in our Entrepreneurship 1.0 and 2.0 programs. Through this experience the goal is for students to see themselves as change-agents, entrepreneurs, and innovators ready to tackle any problem they are passionate about, whether during the program or beyond.
BUILD works with schools to ensure students have a meaningful experience and coach teachers through pacing and support and implementation best practices so students can launch a product or see their service come to life. School or community based organization to provide $50 – $100 of seed money to each student team.