Summer Springboard
Business & Entrepreneurship
ON THE CAMPUS OF MIT
DIVE INTO THE ESSENTIALS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND BUSINESS GROWTH WITH THIS IMMERSIVE COURSE WHERE STUDENTS WILL CREATE, DEVELOP, AND PITCH THEIR OWN STARTUP IDEAS
THIS IS A TWO-WEEK PROGRAM WHERE YOU’LL FOCUS ON ONE COURSE FOR THE ENTIRE DURATION.
Business & Entrepreneurship @ Cambridge, MA
- 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.
- 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 Cambridge, MA
Summer Springboard’s Business & Entrepreneurship course in Cambridge, MA 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, 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.
“I enjoyed my experience and it was something that I found fun. I enjoyed seeing my results and just making ideas in my head come alive. This was a great experience.”
-Krishna P. | Alumni Student
Summer Springboard
Business & Entrepreneurship
Meet Your Instructor
Barry Horwitz is a strategy consultant, entrepreneur, author, and educator. His career has been exceptionally diverse and varied, spanning a broad range of industries, organization types, and sizes, both domestic and international.
His 20+ year consulting career includes several years with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a leading global strategy firm, and several years operating his own independent practice. His clients have ranged from Fortune 500 companies to early-stage companies, global NGOs, and many others in between.
Olivier Aries is the founder of Thrive Labs, a consultancy that helps leaders drive business transformation through the power of behavioral intelligence. A seasoned executive coach and strategist, Olivier brings decades of experience helping executive teams and boards unlock performance through practical applications of human behavior insights.
He previously led client services at the Predictive Index and was a transformation consultant at Kearney, where he advised Fortune 500 firms on leadership and performance. He’s also co-founder of a Pentagon-backed deep tech venture and co-author of Line of Sight: Five Keys for Strategic Execution in an Age of Uncertainty (Simon & Schuster, 2024).
BARRY HORWITZ
OLIVIER ARIES
“It was very engaging. I loved the program and found a bunch of very good friends that I would like to see in the future. It was perfect.”
-Matheus G. | Alumni Student
Summer Springboard
Business & Entrepreneurship
Dates & Tuition
| 2026 Dates |
|---|
| Session 1: June 21 – July 3, 2026 |
| Session 2: July 5 – July 17, 2026 |
| Session 2: July 19 – July 31, 2026 |
Click here to enroll in this course using our online enrollment form.
| Tuition |
|---|
| Residential Tuition: $6,798 |
| Commuter Tuition: $3,498 |
Tuition Protection Plan: Allows for cancellation for any reason up until the day of the program.
| Location |
|---|
| City: Cambridge |
| State: Massachusetts |
| Campus: MIT |
Summer Springboard programs are not run by our campus partners (with the exception of Cal Poly and NYSID 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.