Seed Spot, a nonprofit dedicated to helping local social entrepreneurs succeed, is showcasing its High School Demo Day program on Tuesday, May 15 at 6:30 pm. Seventeen student teams out of the 80 that applied will be pitching their ideas to an audience at the Herberger Theater in downtown Phoenix.
Seed Spot says on its website that 72 percent of young people are interested in starting a business, but 62 percent are never offered a course on entrepreneurship. This is where the nonprofit comes in, providing a curriculum based on STEM and design-thinking to interested schools.
There are two programs available to schools – Explore, and Build. Explore is a 20-week program that teaches students the basics of social entrepreneurship and helps them identify social problems and their causes. Those students connect with community mentors, launch “mini-ventures,” and compete virtually against other students. The Design program is a year-long course that helps students prototype solutions and builds business models, culminating in the chance to win cash prizes at Demo Day.
Seed Spot partners with schools across the nation, including many in the Valley like ASU Preparatory Academy, Brophy College Preparatory, Phoenix Unified School District, Deer Valley School District, Dobson High School, and Mesa High School. Those who are interested in bringing a Seed Spot program to their campus can fill out an interest form here.
Doors open on May 15 at 6 pm, and the presentation begins at 6:30 pm. General admission tickets are free and are available here.
