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Build and present a startup idea in this 2-week entrepreneurship program for middle school students on Georgetown University’s campus.
One of our most popular courses in 2026, based on enrollment.
Course Description
Give a dream startup a shape, a story, and a reason to exist. Then think through the choices that could help it grow.
In this course your student will examine what entrepreneurs do, debate whether successful founders are born or made, and explore startup and brand origin stories. Creative labs turn those ideas into something they can try.
Students build a graphic startup blueprint and use art and music to shape a business vision. Risk cases help them create a guide for future decisions; a game explores failure and trying again. Using software, they’ll make visual media for a dream startup. A course audio-podcast activity and final business presentation give their ideas an audience.
Explaining a vision and answering questions help students discover how passion, innovation, risk, and resilience affect a business, without having their future figured out.
This two-week course takes place at Georgetown University. The course is available to residential and commuter students. The program is developed by Georgetown University and offered in partnership with Summer Discovery.
What You Will Do
• Debate whether successful entrepreneurs are born or made
• Research and record a startup founder for a course audio podcast
• Create a graphic blueprint showing how a startup works
• Shape a business vision through art and music
• Compare risk cases and build a guide for decisions
• Create visual media and present a dream startup idea
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Explain how vision, innovation, risk, and resilience influence a startup
• Use evidence and clear criteria to weigh a business risk
• Explain a business idea in a way an audience can follow
You’ll leave with your startup blueprint, visual media, business presentation and a certificate of completion.
Why Entrepreneurship Skills Matter
Entrepreneurship turns a broad idea into a sequence of decisions. Students practice defining a problem, shaping a vision, weighing risk, and explaining why a business idea could matter to others. Those habits strengthen planning, critical thinking, and communication across school projects and team activities.
Studying failure also makes the process more realistic. Instead of treating every setback as an ending, students consider what the evidence reveals and how a founder might adjust. Presentations build the ability to organize information, manage speaking nerves, and respond thoughtfully to questions.
Who Should Attend?
For students who have completed 6th, 7th, or 8th grade.
A dream business can begin with a product idea, a favorite brand, or a problem your student wants to solve. This course welcomes interests in design and storytelling alongside business, leadership, marketing, and finance. Individual and small-group activities combine creative experiments with practical choices, giving students something of their own to explain and present.
Your Summer at Georgetown University
Studying on Georgetown University’s campus gives middle-school students a memorable place to learn, have fun, and experience campus life in Washington, D.C. The historic campus sits near embassies, institutions, and public conversations that make the wider world feel close, even when the course itself is not connected to government or policy.
The program combines active academics with friendships, campus activities, clear routines, and support as students navigate a new environment. Students can try unfamiliar subjects, share ideas with peers, and build confidence through a structured summer experience. For families, the program offers an engaging balance of learning and fun, with the community and guidance younger students need as they develop independence and discover what they may want to explore next.
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive