Venture Incubator

SEMESTER ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM

A semester that teaches students how to build a life, not just a business.

Youth Venture Lab is a semester-long, in-classroom entrepreneurship course — real entity structure, real financial literacy, real self-understanding — delivered through the same platform trepCollective uses to launch real companies.

Schedule a School Consultation See the Curriculum

Semester-long program  |  Classroom-ready curriculum  |  No cost to families unless your school opts in

Founder Self-AssessmentUnit 1
Legal & Financial LiteracyUnit 2
Real Business PlanUnit 3
Brand & Go-to-MarketUnit 4
Capstone PresentationFinal

THE GAP

Most entrepreneurship electives teach the idea, not the outcome.

Textbook theory with no real-world follow-through

No connection between "start a business" and self-discipline, communication, or life planning

Students graduate having never built anything they can actually point to

Generic worksheets and templates, no real legal or financial literacy

No path from the classroom to something a student can actually carry forward

THE CURRICULUM

A full semester, six units.

Life Incorporated & Self-Assessment

A detailed self-assessment, emotional intelligence, communication style, and long-term life planning — using business as the delivery system for understanding yourself.

Legal & Financial Literacy

Entity types, EIN, licensing and permits, and taxation basics — real regulatory literacy, not a simplified fiction.

Idea to Plan

Identifying a real need and writing an actual business plan for a company the student wants to build.

Brand & Go-to-Market

Branding, marketing strategy basics, and an introduction to selling — turning a plan into something presentable.

Guided Build Sprint

Students who fully engage move as far as their own follow-through takes them toward an actual formed business, supported by the trepCollective platform.

Capstone Presentation

End-of-semester presentation of each student's plan and venture progress to a review panel.

Every student who completes the coursework leaves with a real, personally-owned business plan and working knowledge of how to legally structure and run a company. Progress toward an actual formed business scales with each student's own participation.

HOW IT WORKS

From partnership agreement to capstone presentations.

1

Partnership Agreement

Define cohort size, class schedule, and program fee with your school or program.

2

Staff Onboarding

trepCollective trains your facilitator, or provides a guest instructor for class sessions.

3

Student Onboarding

Each student completes a Founder Profile self-assessment and gets a platform account.

4

Unit 1 — Life Incorporated

Self-assessment, emotional intelligence, and long-term life planning foundations.

5

Unit 2 — Legal & Financial Literacy

Entity types, EIN, licensing, and taxation basics.

6

Unit 3 — Building the Plan

Each student identifies a real need and writes an actual business plan.

7

Unit 4 — Brand & Go-to-Market

Branding, marketing basics, and go-to-market thinking.

8

Guided Build Sprint

Students who engage fully move toward real formation, at their own pace of follow-through.

9

Capstone & Certificates

Final presentations to a review panel and program completion certificates.

THIS IS FOR YOU IF...

  • You run an entrepreneurship or CTE elective and want real-world depth
  • You want an after-school or enrichment program with a real capstone
  • You're a Montessori or homeschool co-op looking for a practical-life business unit
  • You want students building genuine self-understanding alongside business skills

NOT THE RIGHT FIT IF...

  • You're looking for a single-day workshop, not a semester commitment
  • You want every student to complete with a legally established business (that's our 8-Week Founder Program instead)
  • You don't have staff bandwidth to co-facilitate or host the class

Want a legally established business for one student instead of a classroom? See the 8-Week Founder Program.

SPACE IS LIMITED

We take on a limited number of school partnerships at a time.

Cohort capacity is bounded by real instructor and facilitator availability, not a marketing device. If timing doesn't line up right now, join the waiting list and we'll reach out the moment a spot opens for your semester.

PROGRAM FEE

Custom to your school.

YOUTH VENTURE LAB: SEMESTER ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM

Request a Proposal

Pricing depends on cohort size, format, and whether your school opts to cover the cost or pass it to families. We'll build a proposal for your specific program.

Schedule a School Consultation

GET STARTED

Tell us about your school or program.

We'll follow up to schedule a short call and put together a proposal.

FOR FUNDERS & COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Not a school administrator — but want to help a cohort happen?

Banks, foundations, chambers, and local businesses can sponsor seats for students whose schools can't cover the full program fee. Sponsorship funds real access, not just goodwill.

See Sponsorship Opportunities

FAQ

Common questions from educators.

Every student who completes the coursework leaves with real business literacy and a genuine business plan. How far a student progresses toward an actual formed business depends on their own participation and follow-through — we don't guarantee a founded company for every student in a classroom setting. For our stronger completion guarantee, see the 8-Week Founder Program.

Classroom time on your schedule and either a staff facilitator we train, or space for our instructor to lead sessions directly. Details are worked out during your consultation.

No, not unless your school chooses to pass the program fee along. That decision is entirely up to your school.

Yes — the curriculum is designed to slot into a standard semester schedule and can be adapted to complement existing coursework.

Give your students a semester that actually builds something.

Let's talk about your school, your students, and what a proposal would look like.

Schedule a School Consultation
Schedule a Consultation