Our Impact

Celebrating 10 Years

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A note from our founder

Dear Friends and Supporters,

As we celebrate our 10-year anniversary, I want to take a moment to reflect on our journey and on the impact VentureLab has had on the lives of students and educators over the past decade.

VentureLab was founded in 2013 as a girl-only entrepreneurship summer camp in San Antonio, TX. I wanted to empower girls, starting as young as age 5, with an entrepreneurial mindset and heartset so they could have the confidence to become CEOs or leaders in any field they were passionate about. The entrepreneurial mindset was the best gift my parents gave me, and I wanted to pay it forward and share it with girls who didn’t have access to that spark.

We soon realized we had created something very special. Parents asked us to expand our programs to include their sons too, and schools asked us for a version of our entrepreneurship curriculum that could be taught in class during the regular school year. After piloting our in-school curriculum with a number of schools in 2016 we launched our curriculum online at no cost for anyone to use in 2017. Since then, our reach has skyrocketed 10X, and we have been able to go deeper into communities and schools to provide training, mentorship and even seed-funding for young aspiring entrepreneurs.

Since our founding, we have been committed to providing high-quality K12 entrepreneurship education curriculum, programming, and educator training with the mission of creating the next generation of diverse innovators and changemakers by making entrepreneurship accessible to all kids. I am proud to report that we have made significant progress in achieving our goal.

As we close out another year, I am thrilled to report on the impact that our organization has made. Thanks to the dedication and hard work of our staff, volunteers, and donors, we have been able to achieve some truly remarkable accomplishments:

  • Over the past 10 years, we have served more than 747,000 students and 4425 schools in over 155 countries. We have provided schools, after-school programs, and community partners with access to high quality entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, and college and career readiness programs as well as free resources and enrichment that have helped to improve students’ academic performance and overall well-being.
  • Our Spark: ESTEAM Mentorship and Materials program has graduated 51 young entrepreneurs, of which 90% are girls or students of color.
  • We have also provided training, professional development opportunities and resources for more than 30,000 educators. Through our caregiver workbooks in Spanish and English, over 8000 caregivers are also learning about the pathway of entrepreneurship alongside their children.
  • After participating in our programs, 82% of our students report having new career ideas, 73% are more interested in STEM, 80% were more interested in entrepreneurship and starting a business, 94% saw an improvement in their problem solving skills, and 82% reported feeling more confident in their abilities.
  • We are honored to be subject matter experts in entrepreneurship to Girl Scouts USA. We created a patch program for local councils and helped develop the first entrepreneurship badges “Beyond Cookies!”

But the impact of our work goes beyond these numbers. We have seen firsthand the transformative power of entrepreneurship education, as our students have gone on to college, started careers, and even started their own businesses. We have seen how teacher training can lead to more effective and engaging instruction, and how mentorship and seed funding can transform young people, increase their confidence and turn their ideas into reality. One young serial entrepreneur has started multiple businesses from a peer tutoring platform to entrepreneurship classes for youth, and she is now developing an online platform for aspiring writers. Another mentee used the skills and knowledge he gained through our program to develop a prototype app that is helping to improve the health of people with asthma.

As we look to the future, we are excited about the many opportunities that lie ahead. We have set ambitious goals for ourselves and we are confident that with your continued support, we will be able to make even greater strides in providing a pathway to opportunity for all youth. We will continue to work tirelessly to develop and refine our curriculum, train teachers, and support young entrepreneurs through mentorship and seed funding. And we will work to expand our reach, so that even more young people will have access to the resources and support they need to succeed.

None of this would have been possible without the unwavering support of our donors, dedicated board members, partners, staff, and volunteers. I am deeply grateful for the generosity and dedication of everyone who has helped us make a difference in the lives of educators, students, and their families. Thank you for your continued investment in our organization and our mission, we wish you a happy and healthy new year.

With gratitude,

Luz Cristal Sanchez Glangchai

We're proud of the impact we've had empowering students and educators with an entrepreneurial mindset over the past 10 years.

Here's what we've achieved:

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These kids mean business!!
Over the past 10 years we have helped 100s of kids through our Spark Startup Materials & ESTEAM® Mentorship Program and Pitch Events!

Youth Pitches:

Spark Startup Materials & ESTEAM® Mentorship Program Highlights

Making an Impact on Youth

After completing a VentureLab program, our youth reported:

0 %
said it gave them new career ideas
0 %
were more interested in entrepreneurship and starting a business
0 %
said they were more interested in STEM
0 %
said it increased their problem solving skills
0 %
said they were more confident in their abilities
0 %
of our direct delivery participants are girls or students of color

What Our Entrepreneurial Learning Community Is Saying:

Entrepreneurial learning brings science and technology to life through real work applications

VentureKid Spotlight

Having an entrepreneurial mindset means having a vision and driving it forward. Estrella Hernandez built an app to encourage her peers to get more active—using the entrepreneurial process, she transformed her passion for health into a reality!

Why Youth Entrepreneurship?

Parents and teachers share the ways K-12 entrepreneurship education has unlocked potential in their kids.

Entrepreneurial Learning Outside the Classroom

A student from a non-traditional background shares her transformational experience with youth entrepreneurship education.

A Few of Our Valued Sponsors

Working together to spread the entrepreneurial mindset around the world.

Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

Through the generosity of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, VentureLab is enabling state afterschool networks to develop professional learning opportunities for local afterschool leaders. By increasing the number of afterschool programs offering world-class entrepreneurial learning, we’re helping increase the number of youth that have the opportunity to develop entrepreneurial skills and mindsets.

U.S. Mission to UNESCO

Through the U.S. Mission to UNESCO’s TeachHer initiative, VentureLab has provided training to educators, administrators, and policy makers on how youth entrepreneurship education encourages adolescent girls to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Design, and Math (STEAM) education and careers. Over the past two years, VentureLab has facilitated entrepreneurial learning training for participants from Central America and Latin America.

The Ujeni Foundation is a family-driven nonprofit

Ujeni Foundation

The Ujeni Foundation is a family-driven nonprofit supporting women's economic empowerment through education, leadership training, and entrepreneurship. Their mission is to foster sustainable financial independence for women of color and low socio-economic backgrounds. With a vision for equal pay, diverse executive leadership, and enhanced opportunities, Ujeni Foundation’s goal is to create a more equitable future by expanding economic opportunities for women in business, education, and life.

Burton D Morgan foundation logo

The Burton D. Morgan Foundation

The Burton D. Morgan Foundation champions the entrepreneurial spirit, contributing to a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, and leading in entrepreneurship education. Their mission revolves around promoting free enterprise through strategic grants, ecosystem development, and knowledge sharing. With a focus on Youth, Collegiate, and Adult Entrepreneurship, they channel grants to institutions dedicated to entrepreneurial studies and initiatives supporting entrepreneurs.

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