An 8-module high school entrepreneurship curriculum covering market research, business model development, financial projections, pitch deck creation, and live presentation skills.
Entrepreneurs Club (EC) is a technology entrepreneurship program for high school students, founded in 2014 and based in the Sacramento region of California. Students build real businesses rather than simulations, working through 8 training modules over 10 weeks and competing in the Entrepreneurs Club Venture Challenge (ECVC).
The 5th Annual Entrepreneurs Club Venture Challenge takes place Mar. 19, 2027 in Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, with $10,000 in cash awards. Teams of 2-4 high school students apply online by Jan. 29, 2027. Since 2014, EC has reached 500+ students across 30+ high schools, with 75+ teams having competed. In 2026, 39 teams from 20 schools competed in front of 462 attendees.
Self-paced online modules covering the whole arc of building a business, worked through over 10 weeks.
Students learn the difference between a school project and a startup. We define the entrepreneurial mindset: resilience, ownership, and the goal of solving real problems.
Ideas are cheap; execution is everything. Students learn how to identify friction in the real world and brainstorm solutions that are viable, feasible, and desirable.
Turning the concept into a reality. Teams define their Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and learn how to prototype, whether it's a physical good, a service, or an app.
Signal vs. Noise. Teams identify their specific target audience and learn how to communicate their value proposition so clearly that it cuts through a crowded market.
Marketing gets attention; sales gets commitment. Students learn the art of persuasion, negotiation, and how to convert interest into revenue.
No founder wins alone. We cover the dynamics of a healthy founding team and how to lead through conflict.
Building the machine. Teams map out exactly how their business functions day-to-day, from supply chains to customer delivery, ensuring the idea is actually executable.
The fuel tank. Students learn financial literacy fundamentals: calculating burn rate, understanding unit economics, and building a realistic revenue model.