Hampshire High School Intro to Biz Consulting 2017-18 |
Trip to 1871 2017-18 |
MVP Pitch 2017-18
Tea Building Egg Drop 2017-18 |
Break out Box 2017-18 |
Barnes and Noble Book Fair 2017-18 |
Team Photo Shoot 2017-18 |
Pitch Day 2016-17
Trip to 1871 2016-17 |
Open House 2016-17 |
Malebox Crowd Funding Launch 2016-17
Pitch Night 2015-16
Wednesday, May 11th, we hosted our first INCubator Pitch Night. This was the culminating event for our INCubatoredu program. Throughout the year, our 14 teams of sophomores, juniors, and seniors developed business concepts through the support of local business professionals who have volunteered as coaches and mentors in the classroom. The top five teams were then selected by our Board of "Investors" during the preliminary pitch competition. On Pitch Night, these top five teams pitched their business concepts.
Each team gave a 10 minute pitch followed by thorough questioning from our Board of "Investors". All of the teams' presentations and ideas were quite impressive. After careful deliberations, the Board selected FirstSTEP as our Startup Award winners and Malebox as runners-up! In addition to the Startup Award prize package described above, FirstSTEP was also granted enrollment in ACCELeratoredu, the second year of the INCubator program at Dundee-Crown. |
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Startup Award Package (valued at nearly $20,000)
- Startup Funds
- Web Services/Hosting, provided by T.G. Consultants
- (domain registration, website hosting, website programming, template design)
- (domain registration, website hosting, website programming, template design)
- Accounting Services and Entity Registration, provided by Business Matters
- (accounting system design, training, startup execution, budget consultation, entity registration, tax preparation)
- (accounting system design, training, startup execution, budget consultation, entity registration, tax preparation)
- Provisional Patent Setup, provided by Lynk Labs Inc.
- (advise, draft, fund, and file provisional patent)
- (advise, draft, fund, and file provisional patent)
- Business Consultation/Planning Services, provided by Individual Advantages
- Videography Services, provided by ScalesOff Media
- Logo and Marketing Planning, provided by Hot Potato
Open House 2015-16
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On Friday, April 22nd, we welcomed D300 staff and select community members to the ThINC Tank to learn about this new and exciting program. INCubator students greeted our guests and shared their teams' business ideas. This was a wonderful opportunity for the INCubator team to celebrate the early successes of the program with district staff.
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MVP Pitch 2015-16
We wrapped up the month of January with a big event in the ThINC Tank - MVP Pitches! In their MVP Pitches, student teams pitched their business concepts and MVP plans to our MVP Board (think Shark Tank). An MVP, or minimum viable product, is a test of a business concept. A Minimum Viable Product may occur in a variety of shapes, for example: a rough prototype, concierge model, Wizard of Oz, etc. A team's goal is to provide the concept in a form that a potential customer may understand, without significant expense of time and money. Each student team concluded their pitch with a request for a small grant to create their MVP. The goal is to use as little money ($50 to $100) as possible to create an MVP. Teams were dressed to impress and put together outstanding presentations. Check out a few photos from the MVP Pitches below. |
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Financial Model 2015-16
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After the lesson on preparing a financial models, a group of accountants and finance professionals joined us in the ThINC Tank to consult our student teams. Each day, teams were matched with a consultant to go over their business concept and finances. The students took away a great deal from their experiences and individual meetings. In the days following the event, students were even referring to the volunteers as their team's accountant or finance consultant!
Thank you to our financial consultants: Chuck Motl, Blake Motl, Brent Motl, and Eva Tipps of Charles J Motl, CPA and Associates; Melissa Davidson of Borhart Spellmeyer & Company, LLC; and Mark Seigle of Seigle's Cabinet Center. |
Mentor Matching 2015-16
On October 1st and 2nd, we invited all of the potential mentors into the classroom for some “speed dating”. During this event, the mentors rotated around the room to meet each of the student teams and learn more about their business ideas. Likewise, students got to meet the mentors and learn more about their areas of expertise.
At the end of the speed dating sessions, both mentors and student teams submitted their requests for who they would like to work with. The course instructors, Mr. Pahl and Mrs. Burnett, then took these requests to put together the final matches. Each team has now been matched with their mentor—the business professional that will guide and support them through their business development this school year. Student teams and mentors will communicate on a weekly basis through email or in person. Mentors will help the students as they work through the finer details of their BMCs. The mentors will use that week’s curriculum to frame their conversations with the teams. We have an impressive pool of mentors and are very thankful for the dedication they have made to our INCubator program and students. We know the impact of their work will be immense! |
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Brainstorming 2015-16
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Our first in-class event with INCubator volunteers and various district administrators was a huge hit! Our guests gave up their professional time to meet with the student teams and be sounding boards for their ideas. This was a wonderful experience for everyone: students, guests, and teachers, alike.
The students were very receptive to this professional feedback. Even though, for some groups, it was tough to take the criticism, they used it to build and improve their concepts. The guests were energized by the students and their ideas and left the event delivering resounding messages of excitement for their experience. The teachers were impressed by all that was happening - to see high school students comfortably talking to business professionals about their passions; to see business owners, executives, and school administrators taking their time to help students find avenues to cultivate these passions; and to know that this is only the start of a year filled with this - wow. |