Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Build and pitch an original venture with NFTE in this 3-week entrepreneurship program for middle school students on UCLA’s campus.
Seats are limited, and this course may sell out for summer 2027. Enroll early to save your seat.
Course Description
A strong business idea starts with a problem worth solving. Students look for unmet needs, test whether an idea could create real value, and narrow their thinking to one original venture concept.
Course content is powered by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) and uses NFTE’s nationally recognized curriculum and Entrepreneurial Mindset framework. Students organize their idea with a Lean Business Model Canvas, conduct primary and secondary market research, define a target customer, and estimate demand. Competitive analysis, a SWOT evaluation, and human-centered design help them sharpen their value proposition. Branding and marketing workshops turn that strategy into a message customers can understand.
Students then examine fixed and variable costs, pricing, revenue models, unit economics, and break-even points. Using the NFTE Business Workbook and pitch-deck framework, they assemble their research and decisions into a professional presentation. The course culminates in a Fast Pitch Challenge evaluated with NFTE’s official rubric, followed by questions and structured feedback from instructors and experienced entrepreneurs.
This three-week course is part of Summer Discovery’s Institute for the Gifted program on UCLA’s campus. The course is available to residential and commuter students. Beyond class, students connect active academic exploration with campus life, growing independence, new friendships, and a clearer sense of what students may want to explore next.
What Will You Do?
• Use NFTE’s Entrepreneurial Mindset framework to identify problems and evaluate opportunities
• Develop an original venture with a Lean Business Model Canvas
• Conduct primary and secondary research to define a target customer
• Analyze competitors, complete a SWOT review, and refine a value proposition
• Calculate costs, pricing, unit economics, revenue, and a break-even point
• Build a pitch deck and compete in NFTE’s Fast Pitch Challenge
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Evaluate a real-world problem as a possible business opportunity
• Build and test a venture using a Lean Canvas, market research, and financial evidence
• Present and defend an original business concept in NFTE’s Fast Pitch Challenge
Students will leave with market research, a completed Lean Canvas, and a professional pitch deck, plus a clearer sense of which parts of entrepreneurship they may want to explore next.
Why Entrepreneurship Skills Matter
NFTE’s Entrepreneurial Mindset framework teaches students to notice problems, investigate what people need, and improve ideas through evidence and feedback. Market research develops careful listening and analysis because a business concept must respond to a real customer rather than an assumption. The Lean Business Model Canvas helps students see how the problem, solution, market, costs, and revenue connect.
Building a pitch adds communication and decision-making practice. Students choose the strongest evidence, explain why the idea creates value, and respond to questions without losing the central point. These skills support school projects, leadership roles, collaboration, and further exploration across business, design, technology, and social impact.
Who Should Attend?
This course is for middle school students who have completed 6th, 7th, or 8th grade and are curious about business, products, leadership, or solving problems that affect other people. It fits students who enjoy creating ideas and want to learn how NFTE’s research, business-modeling, and financial tools can make those ideas stronger.
Students should be ready to collaborate, study potential customers, work with basic calculations, revise their thinking, and present to an audience. The course guides students through the NFTE process from identifying a problem to delivering a final pitch.
Why UCLA?
UCLA gives middle-school students an energetic place to learn, have fun, and experience campus life in Los Angeles. The setting brings together science, technology, creativity, entertainment, and culture, helping new subjects feel connected to a wider world of ideas.
The program combines hands-on academics with friendships, campus activities, clear routines, and support as students become comfortable in a large university environment. Students can try new challenges, share interests with peers, and build confidence through participation without needing to decide where those interests will lead. For families, UCLA offers a structured middle-school experience that balances substantive learning with fun, community, and age-appropriate independence. Students leave with new memories and a clearer sense of what they may want to explore next.
Summer Discovery Certificate of Completion
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive