Summer Springboard
Business & Entrepreneurship
IN BERKELEY
LAUNCH YOUR VENTURE: MASTER BUSINESS FUNDAMENTALS, BUILD A BUSINESS PLAN, AND PITCH TO INVESTORS IN BERKELEY
THIS IS A TWO-WEEK PROGRAM WHERE YOU’LL FOCUS ON ONE COURSE FOR THE ENTIRE DURATION.
Business & Entrepreneurship in Berkeley
- Pitch your startup idea in a Shark Tank-style presentation to real investors and mentors.
- Learn core business functions like marketing, operations, finance, and sales.
- Build a complete business plan and investor-ready pitch deck with your team.
- Analyze real financial statements to understand business performance.
- Past visits to top Bay Area companies included Netflix, Autodesk, and Visa for a real-world insight.
- Hear firsthand stories from successful entrepreneurs and business leaders.
Summer Springboard
Business & Entrepreneurship
About This Course
At the Business & Entrepreneurship program in Berkeley, high school students gain firsthand experience in launching a startup from the ground up.
Over two dynamic weeks, students learn how core business functions—operations, marketing, finance, and sales—come together to drive success. Working in teams, they analyze financial statements, develop sales and marketing strategies, and create a full business plan and pitch deck.
The program culminates in a Shark Tank-style presentation where students pitch their ideas to a panel of investors and mentors. Students also hear real-world stories from startup founders and in the past have visited top Bay Area companies like Visa, Netflix and Autodesk, offering an immersive look into the world of business and innovation. This program is ideal for aspiring entrepreneurs ready to turn big ideas into action.
TOPICS YOU'LL EXPLORE
Hands-on Learning
Students will examine best practices in Research and Development (R&D), Operations, Marketing, and Finance. Understand the mechanics of scaling a business while maintaining quality.
Students become part of a new company and configure themselves into teams working on various aspects of a business. The program culminates in a Shark Tank-style friendly competition with professional investors.
Career Exploration
Meet with a range of business people, from small business owners, mid-level managers, executives and CEOs from Bay Area companies.
From creative marketers to hard-nosed financial analysts, there are myriad careers you may not have heard of yet. Together we will discuss the career options and the academic paths to get there. In the past, a few student teams were given the opportunity to apply for future internships.
RESOURCES
Course Infosheet
Click here to view or download the printable infosheet for this course.
Program Catalog
Click here to request our catalog to learn more about our summer programs and courses.
Campus Page
Click here to view the website page for this campus and learn more.
“It was really good to help learn more about the basics of business. A moment I really enjoyed was the Visa excursion as they helped me learn more about the process of internships and promotion.”
– C. Lang| Alumni Student
Summer Springboard
Business & Entrepreneurship
Meet Your Instructor
Courses are taught by accomplished and passionate faculty recruited from many area colleges, universities and professional forums. Each faculty member is selected for their subject area expertise and proven ability to both challenge and captivate students.
Summer Springboard
Business & Entrepreneurship
Dates & Tuition
| 2026 Dates |
|---|
| Session 1: June 14 – June 26, 2026 |
| Session 3: June 28 – July 10, 2026 |
| Session 5: July 12 – July 24, 2026 |
Click here to enroll in this course using our online enrollment form.
| Tuition |
|---|
| Residential Tuition: $5,998 |
| Commuter Tuition: $3,298 |
Apply by November 30 to lock in the lowest prices of the year. Tuition increases on December 1.
Tuition Protection Plan: Allows for cancellation for any reason up until the day of the program.
| Location |
|---|
| City: Berkeley |
| State: California |
| Campus: Berkeley |
Summer Springboard programs are not run by our campus partners (with the exception of Cal Poly, NYSID and UW Foster which are run in partnership with SSB). Universities and their affiliated departments and partners do not control and are not responsible or liable in any manner for any part of the Summer Springboard program.