District 212 seeks mentor for new Business Education Incubator course

Leyden's new Incubator course is designed to prepare students to become successful entrepreneurs.

Business teachers at both Leyden campuses are seeking local entrepreneurs and business experts to serve as student coaches and mentors for the second semester course that will begin in January.

This college prep course is designed to prepare students to become successful entrepreneurs. They have the opportunity to create and fully develop their own product or service. Local coaches and mentors guide student teams through the process of ideation, market research, and business plan development using the business model canvas approach.

At mid-year, students will gain in-market experience with "minimum viable product" research and presentations made possible by small grants to student teams. Over the course of the year, student teams will learn about marketing, accounting, human resources, as well as the legal aspects of running a business to prepare for an investor panel presentation. This presentation helps to drive the entrepreneurial spirit by having student teams in front of real investors to pitch their innovative idea and possibly win funding to turn their business plans into reality.

If you are interested in participating as a coach and mentor, please contact Tony Pecucci, business education department chairperson, at 847-451-3632 and tpecucci@le