Business & Entrepreneurship at UCLA

Learn from a business owner, college professor, and consultant who specializes in program, fund, and non-profit development for businesses of all sizes.

Summer business and entrepreneurship program for teens in Los Angeles

Program Highlights

Engage in the entrepreneurial process by thinking through ideas, planning a business, and managing various business considerations for growing a small business into an enterprise.

Understand how operations, marketing, sales, and finance come together to drive a business startup to success.

Learn how to read financial statements in order to decipher a company’s performance.

Develop a sales and marketing plan and pitch your venture to a panel of business and entrepreneurship professionals.

Visit area startups and/or advertising/marketing firms to gain real world exposure.

Residential Tuition :
$5,998

Commuter Tuition:
$3,198

Session 1:
June 22, 2025 July 4, 2025

Session 2:
July 6, 2025 July 18, 2025

UCLA
Los Angeles, CA

Testimonials

I came in knowing next to nothing about business and now I feel that I have flourished in business. This program is very beneficial and I feel that I am ready for college.

Nathaniel C.
Business could be a very real career choice for me! I enjoyed the class, and I think my group’s business model has a lot of potential.

Burke P.

Course Overview

Summer Springboard’s Business & Entrepreneurship course on the campus of UCLA introduces aspiring entrepreneurs to the world of business and the areas that affect growing a business. Our course explores the aspects involved in starting, owning, and operating a business – from thinking through ideas, planning a business, and managing various considerations for growing a small business into an enterprise. Topics such as entrepreneurship, idea generation, customer relationships and revenue streams, personnel and human resource management, product design, cost accounting, financial analysis, marketing, and more will all be explored.

Throughout the course, students will work in groups to generate a business idea of their own, and then follow the entrepreneurial process to develop the idea into a feasible prospective business startup. Ultimately, students will pitch their innovative ideas to a panel of business and entrepreneurship “judges” in a Shark-Tank type experience.

Excursions in Los Angeles – Visit multiple companies and meet with a range of business people, from small business owners and mid-level managers to high-ranking executives.

Meet your instructor

Dr. Laura Manyweather, Ed.D., MBA

Business & Entrepreneruship

With 29 years of experience with private corporations and 12 years in academia, Laura brings systems, processes and organizational structure to small and micro businesses.

Learn more

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 environment with professional investors.

Career Exploration

Meet with range of business people, from small business owners, mid-level managers and execs from Goldman Sachs, McKinsey consultant, and CEO.

From creative marketers to hard-nosed financial analysts, there are myriad careers you may not have heard of. Together we will discuss the career options and the academic paths to get there.