Entrepreneurship and Start-up Program
Program Overview
Entrepreneurs today need to adapt to the current business environment by embracing digital transformation, focusing on customer needs and preferences, being agile and flexible in their operations, and prioritizing sustainability and social responsibility. They should also be prepared to pivot their business models and strategies in response to changing market conditions and consumer behavior. The Eureka Entrepreneurship and Start-Up Program will equip students with the necessary tools and concepts to succeed as an entrepreneur. This program offers students the opportunity to study entrepreneurship in the aspects of - Design Thinking, Decision Making, and Economics. This program will help students to gain knowledge and understanding of various areas of entrepreneurship while developing critical thinking and analytical skills, as well as problem-solving skills.

Students in this course will consider questions such as these:
Why do grocery stores have junk food right near the checkout?
Why do video streaming services start the next episode of a show automatically?
What is economic uncertainty?
How does it affect families, businesses, and countries?
How can design thinking be used to promote sustainability and social responsibility in business practices?
Are dieters more willing to choose a healthy snack instead of an unhealthy snack if they’ll be given a picture of themselves eating the snack and asked to upload it to a social networking site or app?
In the area of Design and Design Thinking, students will explore how to manage complex interdisciplinary projects connecting research into people’s needs and desires with the delivery of products, services, and experiences. Students will learn how to develop creative and innovative solutions to challenges and problems in design. The human-centered design combines qualitative and quantitative research into people's lives with the application of science and technology to manage resources such as funding, materials, and infrastructure, in order to deliver innovation.
In the area of decision-making, the Behavioral Economics path will help students to learn how better decisions can be made. Behavioral economics is a field of economics that studies the behavior of individuals and institutions and how they make economic decisions. It combines insights and methods from psychology, sociology, and neuroscience to better understand how humans make economic choices, and how biases, heuristics, and social norms can affect those choices. Behavioral economists challenge traditional economic assumptions about rationality and self-interest, and instead focus on how individuals actually behave in the real world. This field has important applications in areas such as public policy, finance, marketing, and organizational behavior.
Entrepreneurial students may also wish to explore the area of Economic Uncertainty. This course will delve into how major events such as a pandemic can impact various business sectors and people's lives as a whole. This course will answer questions such as: How is uncertainty affecting various sectors such as schools, restaurants, retail stores, E-commerce, real estate, and healthcare? Or, how is uncertainty affecting different income or racial groups differently? Are there differences by gender in uncertainty effects?
Previous Alumni of the Entrepreneurship and Start-up Program have secured positions and acceptances to the following firms/programs:
• LinkedIn: Software Engineer Intern
• Goldman Sachs: Virtual Insight Series Participant
• Credit Suisse Steps to Success: Explore Program
• Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy - Research Assistant for Yale Initiative on Sustainable Finance (YISF)
• University of Chicago - Pathways in Economics (Summer Program)
• Davidson College: Research Intern for Economics Professor
• Various Investment Banking Internships
Alumni from the Eureka Entrepreneurship and Start-up Program have received admission offers to Princeton University, Yale University, Bowdoin College, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), John Hopkins University (JHU), Duke University, Dartmouth College, and many more top universities in the United States. Eureka Alumni from this program have gone off to pursue studies in Computer Science, Economics, Finance, Applied Mathematics, Data Science, and Political Science, just to name a few.
Alumni from the Entrepreneurship and Start-up Program have been accepted to attend prestigious and selective programs such as the Wharton Global Youth Program - Leadership in the Business World Program, University of Chicago - Pathways in Economics Program, and the Brown University X+VR Summer Program. Many students from this program have also participated in prestigious competitions, such as the Harvard Debate Tournament, iGEM Competition, and the Regeneron Science Talent Search.
In addition, we are proud to see students from this program actively participating in the community, volunteering where possible. Several of our students have founded non-profit organizations to help their local community. Two siblings that attended this program have started a non-profit organization helping to promote cultural awareness for children in their local communities by providing their local libraries with a wider range of cultural children's books. Another student volunteered his spare time during the COVID-19 pandemic to collect and donate face masks to her community.
The below sections will provide more insight into the students that have attended this program and share their experiences and successes.
Research Topic Samples
College Admission Results
Attended Eureka
2019
High School Name
Uwc Canada
Admission Offer Received
• Princeton University
• Duke University
Eureka Research Title
Effectiveness Of Specific Feedback In Athletic Performance
Attended Eureka
2020
High School Name
Horace Mann School
Admission Offer Received
• Yale University
Eureka Research Title
Foreign Language On Risk Judgment And Tolerance
Attended Eureka
2018
High School Name
Harvard-Westlake School
Admission Offer Received
• Yale University
• California Institute of Technology (CALTECH)
• Brown University
Eureka Research Title
Conflicts And Reconcilation At The Port-City Interface Of Contemporary European Ports
Attended Eureka
2021 Summer
High School Name
Deerfield Academy
Admission Offer Received
• Yale University
• Brown University
• John Hopkins University (JHU)
Eureka Research Title
The Effect Of Intentions And Exposure On The Valuation Of Art
Attended Eureka
2020 Summer
High School Name
Greenhills School
Admission Offer Received
• Yale University
Eureka Research Title
What Caused The Collapse Of The Arm Market During The 2007-2009 Financial Crisis
Attended Eureka
2020
High School Name
Phillips Academy Andover
Admission Offer Received
• University of Chicago
Eureka Research Title
Machu Picchu- The Sublime Stone Citadel
Attended Eureka
2018 Summer
High School Name
Mercersburg Academy
Admission Offer Received
• University of Chicago
Eureka Research Title
The Effect Of Reference Price On Customer's Decisions In Online Shopping
Attended Eureka
2021 Summer
High School Name
The Bishop's School
Admission Offer Received
• (ED) University of Chicago
Eureka Research Title
Women In The Service Sector & Asean
Attended Eureka
2018 Summer
High School Name
Indiana Springs School
Admission Offer Received
• Bowdoin College
Eureka Research Title
Research Topic - Undisclosed
Attended Eureka
2020 Summer
High School Name
Northfield Mount Hermon School
Admission Offer Received
• University of Chicago
Eureka Research Title
High School Sports Participation And Mental Health Benefits: Do Girls Benefit More?
Student Experiences
Eureka Student Research: Ranking of data-area’s FDI prospects for China, South Korea, and Germany
Eureka Student Research: Environmental Impacts of Industrial Produce and Population Growth
Eureka Student Research: Advertisement Competition in Bertrand Duopoly
Community Activities
The Leadership in the Business World (LBW) program at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School is a summer program designed for high school students interested in business and leadership. The program offers students the opportunity to learn from Wharton faculty and industry leaders, participate in team-building exercises, and work on a business project with their peers. The program aims to provide students with a foundation in business principles, as well as the skills and knowledge needed to become effective leaders. Many Eureka alumni have reported they have had to opportunity to attend this selective program.
When attending the Eureka Program, Student W.* worked with a Brown University Professor of Computer Science to complete research in Virtual Reality (VR). She later attended the Brown University X+VR Summer School, which is a program that provides an opportunity for high school students to explore the intersections of virtual reality (VR) and other fields such as art, science, and social justice. Through a combination of lectures, workshops, and hands-on projects, students learn about VR technologies and their applications while also developing critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills. Student W. is currently studying at Tandon School of Engineering at New York University (NYU).
The MIT Launch X program is an intensive entrepreneurship program for high school students. Participants learn the skills and mindset needed to start a successful startup, including market research, product development, and pitching to investors. The program culminates in a Demo Day where teams present their business ideas to a panel of judges. Student S.*, who is currently studying at John Hopkins University, had the opportunity to attend this entrepreneurship program
Honors and Awards

The Massachusetts High School Science & Engineering Fair is an annual competition for high school students in Massachusetts to showcase their scientific research projects. The fair is designed to encourage and inspire students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, as well as to develop skills in research, critical thinking, and communication. Eureka Alumni was able to participate in this event and received an Honorable Mention with her project.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is a national program that recognizes and celebrates the creative achievements of young artists and writers in grades 7-12. It provides opportunities for exhibition, publication, and scholarship, as well as a platform for talented students to showcase their work to a wider audience. Several of Eureka Alumni from this program have received this award. These students did research projects in behavioral economics, macroeconomics, and business law.
Click to Read Abstracts
Information Sessions
Disclaimers
* Some students names are hidden from this page for privacy purposes
* All college results rankings are based on the 2022-2023 U.S. News Best Colleges Rankings