BUSINESS INCUBATOR

Join Us for Pitch Night 2019

This year's Pitch Night will take place on June 3, 2019.
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor for this year's event please contact Colette Mendelson. If you are interested in volunteering to help with the event itself please contact Nikki Rhomberg or Rich Chun.

SCENES FROM THE BUSINESS INCUBATOR

What is the Business Incubator?

The LFHS Foundation partnered with Lake Forest High School to create the Business Incubator in Fall 2014. This Junior level Honors course in the Business Department offers students a unique opportunity to become true entrepreneurs by creating and developing their own product or service. Students are coached and mentored by real entrepreneurs and business experts from our community and beyond. During the year long course, student teams learn about ideation, marketing, accounting, human resources, as well as the legal and financial aspects of running a business. Principles and processes from the LEAN concept - a scientific approach to creating and managing startups - guide students as they test their thinking and vision. To further inspire creativity, a customized classroom has been designed to ignite brainstorming and foster collaboration as students develop products and services for the real world. The course culminates in Pitch Night, a “Shark-Tank” style presentation where student teams present their innovative ideas to a Board of Directors for the chance to earn funding for their businesses. Part of this process also includes the student teams working to create promotional materials, press releases, and to solicit potential investors to attend Pitch Night.

Teams that are funded during Pitch Night then have the option to continue on with the process of starting up their business during the second year program, the Business Accelerator – a Senior level honors business class.

Individuals interested in partnering with the LFHS Business Incubator program should contact Nikki Rhomberg at businessincubator@lfschools.net.

Students interested in enrolling in the Business Incubator should speak with their guidance counselor for more information.

Mentor & Volunteer Opportunties

Our program is always looking for committed community members, engaging business leaders, and enthusiastic entrepreneurs to help guide and mentor our students through the process of developing and implementing their business plans.
Volunteers can serve in one of three ways:

Coach – A coach is an industry professional who will partner with the classroom teacher to offer instruction on a specific subject, such as marketing, finance, law, or technology. Serving as a coach is a one to five day commitment. Lesson plans are provided but coaches are encouraged to share what they’ve learned through their own experiences in order to offer real-world context for specific curricular areas.
Mentor – A mentor is a community member who will work with one of our student teams for the course of the school year, offering guidance as that team develops its business. Mentors will commit to meeting with the team during the school day at least two times each month, generally on a Wednesday or Thursday during the block schedule class period. Mentors are also expected to commit to a weekly check-in meeting with their team (which should be in person or remotely if necessary) throughout the year.
Mentor “Sub” – A volunteer who is unable to commit to a consistent weekly time commitment with a team, but would like to work within the classroom as a fill-in mentor. The Mentor “Sub” would meet with teams in the classroom during class time when individual mentors are unable to attend classes due to conflicts. They could also be called upon to work with a team who may need additional mentoring in areas that the volunteer specializes in. This would be on an as-needed basis.

Interested in volunteering? Download, complete and return the application below. If you have questions or wish to partner with the LFHS Business Incubator program, please contact Nikki Rhomberg at lfhsfoundationbi@gmail.com.

Download an Application

Pitch Night 2018

Spectators packed the Raymond Moore Auditorium for the 4th Annual Pitch Night 2018! Read MORE

Pitch Night 2018

A Business Incubator Success Story

Safe & Sound Spray Continues to Grow!

The success of the LFHS Business Incubator continues to increase. Now in its fourth year at the high school, the junior year honors class consistently produces entrepreneurial outcomes in its students.

Safe and Sound Spray, a team funded in 2016 has continued to grow even after its founders have moved on to college. Jenelle Frevert and Gwen Driscoll are now in their second year of college, but the business they developed their junior year in the LFHS Business Incubator classroom continues to grow… thanks to their entrepreneurial mindset.

Safe and Sound Pitches Again
Safe and Sound participated in the Watermark Conference For Women in Silicon Valley this past February. Their participation allowed the company to bring their product to the attention of QVC and Zulily, where they pitched their product. A self-defense spray created by two women fit right into the heart of the #MeToo movement. NBC San Jose did a short interview of the company at the conference.

Growing their business continues…
Once they returned home, they have not rested on their successes. They sponsored a self-defense seminar in March and continue to work to promote their business. Jenelle recently shared some of her insights about their growth as an idea to their most recent national business pitches with the attendees at the LFHS Foundation Spring Luncheon on April 19th at Exmoor Country Club. Safe and Sound Spray also nearly sold out of their products after the presentation at the Foundation’s luncheon.

Keep watching Safe and Sound Spray as they work to sell their product and expand their business. You can also find them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LFHSBusinessInc/ and Twitter: @LFHSBusinessInc