The Chamber’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy Starting Classes Soon

Wednesday on KFYO Mornings with Dave King and Matt Martin the Director of Leadership Programs at the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce Amy Marquez joined Dave and Matt to talk about the Chamber's Young Entrepreneurs Academy.

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy is a class of 24 students, that Marquez describes as, "a program for kids eleven to eighteen years of age. It's a thirty week program where we turn students into CEOs of their very own company."

To get into the academy, students must turn in 2 essay questions, transcripts, a letter of recommendation, and then have a phone interview. If accepted, they are let into the program with classes starting October 16th and running through the middle of May. there is no prior business experience, nor an idea for a business required beforehand. The students will come up with come up with an idea during the classes, write a business plan, and be prepared to go before a panel of investors made up of local business owners. The students will also be paired with a mentor to help with their business, as well as hear from several speakers that will help them find the connections they need. Finally, they will launch their business at a trade show in May and go from there.

When asked what kind of child would benefit from this program, Amy said, "there is a certain type of child we are looking for," going on to say, "It's usually the kids that are already mature beyond their years and they are looking for something a little bit more intriguing and a little bit more challenging when it comes to extra curricular activities." It may be a kid who sells things to their classmates, plays a lot of chess, or enjoys robotics.

Marquez encourages parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles to contact her by calling the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce or going to lubbockchamber.com/yea. Classes meet once a week from 4:30-7:30 at the Texas Tech Innovation Hub, with additional work expected outside of class.

Watch the full interview in the video above.

KFYO Mornings with Dave King & Matt Martin airs weekday mornings live, from 6:00 AM to 8:30 AM on News/Talk 95.1 FM and 790 AM KFYO, online at KFYO.com, & on the free KFYO app.