What does it look like to invest in the process, not the business? Chris Straw has been a donor, a connector, and a champion for student entrepreneurship long before most people were paying attention. Read how a local pitch competition in DeKalb County grew into a statewide partnership.

What if students stopped asking "is this good enough?" and started asking "will this work?" Inside Debera Hinchy's entrepreneurship class, students are running a real business. See how the Red Devils Bistro is building confidence, resilience, and problem-solving skills through real responsibility and real stakes.

NOVA Lab students traveled to Drexel University, placed 2nd and 3rd at a fast-pitch competition, and launched a mentorship program with college entrepreneurs at Ursinus. In Texas, a homeschool cooperative turned a DND story about grief and monsters into a fully filmed shadow puppet production, built with power saws and a lot of heart.

Three schools came together for Southern Indiana's first-ever regional practice pitch event for students to build confidence and learn from each other. And at the University of Evansville's Changemaker Challenge, two Signature School teams placed 1st and 3rd, with a full-tuition scholarship on the line.

Two Westfield students saw a gap in their school's business programs and built a club to close it, and before the first meeting, 25 girls had already signed up. At Decatur Central, a first-year teaching duo ran a full two-day pitch competition for 36 seniors, and the students didn't want to stop when it was over.

A Hobart teacher took her message about purposeful leadership to a national stage and brought her daughter along for the moment. Meanwhile, engineering students at Hanover Central built real prototypes for their classmates' businesses, and solved a culinary teacher's plumbing problem along the way.

Entrepreneurship looks different when the teacher is taking risks too. Inside one Indianapolis microschool, students are building real ventures (and learning faster) because their teacher is right there in the process with them.

Our alumni continue to make incredible strides in healthcare innovation, education, and technology. Here are four inspiring updates from STARTedUP alumni who are building, learning, and leading in their communities and beyond!

Students in Pennsylvania tackled real-world challenges through design projects, social media learning, and an alum’s return to share global public health work. In Massachusetts, the approval of early college credit across multiple entrepreneurship sections highlighted the expanding reach of entrepreneurship education.

Students stepped into professional roles by catering events for community leaders, pitching public art initiatives, and refining business ideas through one-on-one mentorship.

Students moved ideas into action through rapid business launches and collaborative pitch practice. From a Westfield student entrepreneur building a real service business in under 30 days to a multi-school pitch event at 16Tech, students gained a bunch of confidence this month.

Students secured long-term opportunities through city partnerships and global exchange experiences. From sustaining a Building Trades program in Mishawaka to international learning tied to Japan, students engaged with both opportunity and reflection.

Students in Texas got hands-on with trade careers at a packed construction expo, while a Pennsylvania program doubled down on real industry partnerships and AI-driven sustainability projects showcased to regional leaders.