Summer Springboard
Business & Entrepreneurship Online
SUMMER IMMERSION ACADEMY
Designed utilizing the resources of the Rady School of Management, UC San Diego.
Business & Entrepreneurship Online
- Learn about entrepreneurship and innovation from UCSD faculty, startup founders, and community leaders
- Work in teams to create a new business venture and develop a sales and marketing plan to pitch your venture to investors and mentors
- Understand how operations, marketing, sales, and finance come together to drive businesses
- Simulate financing, staffing, marketing, and inventory management decisions to grow sales and maximize profits
- Have the opportunity to interact online with professionals in the startup community
- Hear numerous founders’ tales of their startup business challenges, pivots, and survival
Summer Springboard
Business & Entrepreneurship Online
About This Course
Curious about entrepreneurship, but not sure where to start? This two-week course was designed utilizing the resources of the Rady School of Management, UC San Diego, and professionals in the startup community for aspiring high school entrepreneurs who wish to explore this path. From developing new business ideas, learning marketing, research, and leadership skills to entrepreneurial strategy and pitching, this course follows Rady’s successful approach to commercializing innovation.
Students will also play an online entrepreneur simulation, in which they are divided into teams to evaluate financing options at startup, and make staffing, marketing, and inventory management decisions for twelve simulated quarters; each team competes against the other teams in class, growing sales and managing operations to maximize profits.
The last day culminates with student pitches to CEOs, educators, and entrepreneurs.
Who is it for?
Open to any high school student who will be entering freshman, sophomore, junior or senior year in Fall 2025. Space is limited. Each session is limited to 35 students per track.
How is it done?
Classes will be held via Zoom and facilitated in real-time by the instructor and a classroom coordinator.
TOPICS YOU'LL EXPLORE
Hands-on Learning
Students will not only gain foundational knowledge in business strategy, marketing, and leadership, but also apply these skills in a dynamic online simulation where they make key decisions to grow a virtual company. By working in teams and competing in a realistic business environment, students actively develop problem-solving and collaboration skills—culminating in a final pitch to industry professionals, where they showcase their ideas and progress.
Career Exploration
This course offers a unique opportunity for career exploration in the field of entrepreneurship, giving students a firsthand look at what it takes to launch and manage a business. Through interactive workshops, mentorship from startup professionals, and exposure to real-world business challenges, students will gain insight into various roles within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Whether they’re interested in marketing, finance, product development, or leadership, this experience helps students discover their strengths and interests while exploring potential career paths in the startup world.
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 liked the simulation and the exposure to this field. The simulation proved to test critical thinking problem solving skills within me, and the exposure showed me what a snippet of college would look like.”
– J | Alumni Student
Summer Springboard
Business & Entrepreneurship Online
Meet Your Instructor
Dr. Tina Klein creates and runs high-end experiential entrepreneurship programs for teens and adults.
She has taught Marketing since 1996 as a faculty member at top business schools: UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management, USC’s Marshall School of Business, MIT’s Sloan School of Management, and UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management. Additionally, she enjoys her role as executive educator working with universities and NGOs, teaching students in the US and internationally.
Previously, Dr. Klein was a Fulbright Scholar in Berlin, Germany. While there, she also served as an interpreter and translator. She relished her time as a foreign correspondent during the fall of the Berlin Wall and counts herself very lucky to have been in the middle of monumental historical events.
DR. TINA KLEIN, UC SAN DIEGO
Summer Springboard
Business & Entrepreneurship Online
Dates & Tuition
| 2025 Dates |
|---|
| June 29 – July 10, 2026 |
| July 13 – July 24, 2026 |
| July 27 – August 7, 2026 |
Click here to enroll in this course using our online enrollment form.
| Tuition |
|---|
| $1,798 |
Tuition Protection Plan: Allows for cancellation for any reason up until the day of the program.
| Location |
|---|
| Online |