Summer Springboard
Business & Entrepreneurship
ON THE CAMPUS OF YALE UNIVERSITY
DIVE INTO THE ESSENTIALS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND BUSINESS GROWTH WITH THIS IMMERSIVE COURSE WHERE STUDENTS WILL CREATE, DEVELOP, AND PITCH THEIR OWN STARTUP IDEAS
Business & Entrepreneurship @ Yale University
- Collaborate in teams to create a new business venture and develop a sales and marketing plan for pitching to investors and mentors.
- Gain a holistic understanding of how operations, marketing, sales, and finance work together to drive business success.
- Hear firsthand stories of startup challenges and survival from an experienced entrepreneurial founder.
- Learn the Business Model Canvas approach to entrepreneurship.
- Meet with range of business people, from small business owners, mid-level managers and execs from Goldman Sachs, McKinsey consultant, and CEO.
- Discuss career opportunities and academic paths available for students wanting to pursue business or entrepreneurship
Summer Springboard
Business & Entrepreneurship
About This Course
A business program for teens on a university campus in New Haven
Summer Springboard’s Business & Entrepreneurship course at Yale University offers aspiring entrepreneurs a dynamic introduction to the world of business and the key factors that influence business growth.
This immersive program guides students through the entire entrepreneurial journey from generating innovative ideas and developing business plans to navigating the challenges of launching and scaling a company. Topics covered include entrepreneurship fundamentals, idea generation, customer engagement, revenue models, human resources, product development, financial analysis, marketing strategies, and more.
Working collaboratively in teams, students will create their own business concept and develop it into a viable startup idea. The course culminates in a high-energy “Shark Tank”-style pitch, where teams present their ventures to a panel of business and entrepreneurship experts.
TOPICS YOU'LL EXPLORE
Hands-on Learning
Students will step into the role of entrepreneurs by forming teams and launching their own startup ideas. Each student takes on a functional role, such as marketing, finance, or product development, as they collaborate to build a business from the ground up. From ideation to execution, students apply real-world business principles in areas like R&D, operations, and customer strategy. The experience culminates in a high-stakes Shark Tank-style pitch to a panel of professional investors, bringing their entrepreneurial vision to life.
Career Exploration
This course offers students a unique opportunity to explore a wide range of career paths within the business world. Through interactions with professionals, from small business owners to executives at firms like Goldman Sachs and McKinsey, students gain insight into diverse roles such as marketing, finance, consulting, and leadership. The course also guides students through the academic and career steps needed to pursue these fields, helping them discover the many possibilities that entrepreneurship and business careers can offer.
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.
“The program was everything I thought it would be. It’s an experience that will make you feel connected to other people and to the course itself. It makes you become more comfortable with who you are and the things that you’re passionate about. I really enjoyed everything about it.”
-Imani J. | Alumni Student
Summer Springboard
Business & Entrepreneurship
Meet Your Instructor
Dr. Aaron S. Marks (pictured, left) teaches courses in business, consulting, leadership, and sports management. Before earning his DHSc, he worked in an entrepreneurial start-up sports venture that designed equipment to mitigate concussive impacts and worked in secondary education in North Carolina and Connecticut, and higher education at Fairfield University in academic advising and, most recently, the University of New Haven as an academic advisor as well as in its Pompea College of Business and College of Arts and Sciences developing and teaching courses in entrepreneurship and sports psychology. He holds from the University of Michigan a Sport-Related Concussion Training Certification, and a State of Connecticut Coaching Certification for purposes of coaching high school softball. Aaron was a Maynard National Teaching Fellow at Elon University. His current research interest focuses on concussion education, awareness, and injury disclosure, leadership and entrepreneurship, and the application of game theory to athlete perspectives on injury disclosure. Dr. Marks published on January 29, 2024 and September 19, 2024, editorials on the issue of concussion disclosure and the lack of reporting in the Hartford Courant.
Brian A. Marks, J.D., Ph.D., Executive Director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program and Senior Lecturer in Economics & Business Analytics at the Pompea College of Business. With over 30 years of experience in entrepreneurial and international business, government service, and academia, he teaches and mentors students in economics, finance, governance, healthcare, and innovation. He has held senior roles—including CAO, CFO, and General Counsel—at tech and entrepreneurial firms across North America and Europe. Brian currently advises start-ups in cybersecurity and digital freight logistics and is a co-inventor on a patent for device ownership in supply chains. His expertise includes corporate law, IP licensing, information security, and regulatory compliance.
A former legal advisor at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, he has taught at institutions including Babson College, Sacred Heart University, Virginia Tech, and Stanford’s Hoover Institution. Brian holds a JD and PhD in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis and a BA from Union College. He is a licensed attorney and active commentator on economic and regulatory issues.
DR. AARON S. MARKS & BRIAN A. MARKS, J.D., Ph.D.
“Summer Springboard did not only prepare me for a career but also the real world while leaving time to make life long friends and having fun.”
-Addison W. | Alumni Student
Summer Springboard
Business & Entrepreneurship
Dates & Tuition
| 2025 Dates |
|---|
| Session 1: June 15 – June 27, 2025 |
| Session 2: June 29 – July 11, 2025 |
| Session 3: July 13 – July 25, 2025 |
Click here to enroll in this course using our online enrollment form.
| Tuition |
|---|
| Residential Tuition: $6,298 |
| Commuter Tuition: $3,498 |
Tuition Protection Plan: Allows for cancellation for any reason up until the day of the program.
| Location |
|---|
| City: New Haven |
| State: Connecticut |
| Campus: Yale University |
*Schedule is illustrative and is subject to change. Summer Springboard is operated independently of Yale University and is not sponsored or endorsed by the University. The views expressed in connection with the program are not official positions, statements of advice, nor opinions of Yale University and should not be viewed as an endorsement by Yale of any such views or statements.