Last Saturday Ajay and I had the pleasure of being at the BUILD business plan competition at Stanford university. BUILD helps students to start their own small businesses. Students learn the basics of entrepreneurship, develop a business plan for their business, secure seed capital by pitching to VCs and of course, run their own business.   BUILD’s 4-year program (9th-12th) is the largest youth business incubator in the nation. I volunteer as a mentor every Tuesday at the BUILD Palo Alto office. I'm a mentor to a business known as the Dream Team. They make eco-friendly pillows from cotton fabric & bamboo and buckwheat stuffing.

Ajay was selected to be a judge for the business plan competition while I was outside at the sales bazaar helping the Dream Team reach their sales goal for the year. It was an inspirational day, watching 14-16 year old young-adults speaking passionately about their business ventures, selling their goods and telling their stories.

The winner of the business plan competition, known as the Fantastic Five, had one of the most creative products.  They are the creators of Sweet Sushi made of rice crispy treats, sour gummy worms, and fruit roll up. Keep in mind these are FRESHMEN in high school! The panel of judges for the final round included people like Jack Dorsey, co-founder/Chairman of twitter, Kai Huang, Co-founder/CEO of Guitar Hero, Jim Lussier, Managing Partner, NorWest Venture Partners, among many others.

BUILD does a commendable job of instilling entrepreneurial spirit and drive in young kids. I am proud to be a volunteer at such an amazing organization that teaches students to be self-sufficient and believe in themselves and their ideas. It also provides the students with the guidance and support needed to apply to college. 100% of their students attend college after senior year. Some students are first in their family to do so. 

I leave you with this remarkable video of how to raise kids to be entrepreneurs.