At VentureLab, we believe entrepreneurship is more than just starting a business. It’s about cultivating mindsets—adaptability, opportunity-seeking, resourcefulness, empathy, and courage—that help individuals thrive, regardless of age or industry. This fall, we had the privilege of guiding three remarkable young entrepreneurs in our Spark ESTEAM™ Mentorship and Materials Program. Their journeys serve as a reminder that entrepreneurial potential is everywhere, just waiting to be nurtured and unleashed.
From Ideas to Action: Meet the Entrepreneurs
Our newest Spark graduates—Charlotte and Everett of Royal Canvas Stickers and Lucas of WebLiteracy.com—have spent the last four months developing not only their ventures but also the mindsets and habits that will carry them forward. They met with their mentor each month and were provided up to $500 in material support to take the next step in business development.
Charlotte and Everett, the dynamic duo behind Royal Canvas Stickers, learned what it means to keep going when time is tight and resources are limited. Charlotte shared that one mindset she improved during the program was “resourcefulness,” explaining: “Probably the mindset I focused on the most was resourcefulness. It was a lot of help going around my everyday life and finding resources out there that I could use…”
Meanwhile, Everett described how “opportunity-seeking” guided him to leverage every chance to advance their business: “I realized we got all this stuff through Thrive, so we signed up for Thrive again in middle school, and now we have $110 extra to use towards our business.” Their journey involved balancing the demands of school and life, sometimes sacrificing recess to complete goals, and taking big leaps like digitizing their hand-drawn sticker designs. As Everett noted, “Just because I’m a kid doesn’t mean there are things I can’t do. I can always accomplish a goal if I really set my mind to it.”
Everett and Charlotte both took part in Webster Grove’s Thrive Jr afterschool program, powered by VentureLab’s Idea to Pitch Program, taught by Carolyn Recke and, and organized by Kara Siebe, program coordinator for the Thrive entrepreneurial incubator program in the Webster Groves School District.
Over on the digital frontier, Lucas took on adaptability with WebLiteracy.com. He aimed to help kids cultivate critical thinking skills online. At first frustrated by mistakes, Lucas learned to pause, breathe, and re-approach challenges. “I think I practiced adaptability… I used to be very frustrated. Now I’m not as frustrated… and it helps me learn more easily,” he explained. Whether navigating coding classes designed for adults or discussing media literacy with expert mentors, Lucas embraced the entrepreneurial mindset that obstacles are stepping-stones, not dead ends.
Mentorship and Mindset Go Hand in Hand
Throughout the program, VentureLab mentors reinforced the importance of entrepreneurial mindsets. Our mentors, Lindly Fernandez and Christen Rains, encouraged each participant to see mistakes as growth opportunities and feedback as a guiding compass. Lindly recognized Charlotte and Everett’s teamwork and grit, telling them, “It has been so fun watching you learn to balance your time, set goals, and work really hard… You should be incredibly proud.”
Christen applauded Lucas’s passion for innovation and skill-building, noting, “You have the soul of an innovator… I was just so impressed with your dedication and passion.” Under VentureLab’s guidance, each entrepreneur realized that true growth comes not from perfection, but from pushing beyond comfort zones.
It Takes a Village
Entrepreneurs don’t work alone, and these young Missouri entrepreneurs were surrounded by an ecosystem of support.
Funding from the Missouri Afterschool Network made this Missouri Cohort possible.
Attending the graduation ceremony, the Associate Director of Partnerships, Mark Cowsert noted, “When we can support programs that allow them to thrive, then that’s the pinnacle of the work we get to do.” MASN builds systems across the state that improve, support, and sustain high-quality afterschool programs. All three of these participated in MASN’s Youth Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition.
From the “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) sessions with St. Louis entrepreneurs to parents and caregivers cheering from the sidelines, this cohort’s experience highlights the collaborative nature of innovation. It truly takes a village—a supportive ecosystem of peers, mentors, family members, and community partners—to inspire these young founders to dream bigger and push further.
