MS CEO Studio

Grades 6–8+

Enrollment includes a brief Student Fit Form
MS CEO Studio begins with a short Student Fit Form so we can learn about each student's interests, goals, and readiness to participate. Because students work closely in a founder cohort, we use this information to build a collaborative learning environment where students are ready to contribute, receive feedback, and grow together.

The Student Fit Form is designed to help us understand each learner—it is not a competitive admissions process.

Build. Lead. Pitch. Become a Founder.

Built from Edge Up's award-winning entrepreneurship curriculum, MS CEO Studio gives students the full founder experience—from identifying opportunities to pitching real business ideas.

Students learn how founders think — identifying problems, understanding customers, developing solutions, building brands, testing ideas, creating business plans, designing pitch decks, and confidently presenting their vision.

More than an entrepreneurship class, MS CEO Studio develops the creativity, research, communication, leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving skills students need to turn ideas into action.

Two Pathways. One Founder Journey.

Every student begins in MS CEO Studio, where they learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, innovation, and founder thinking.

Throughout the year, students build businesses, pitch ideas, and develop the communication, leadership, research, and problem-solving skills that successful founders rely on.

Edge Up’s entrepreneurship curriculum has already helped students achieve national recognition, including a 1st Place National win in the Project ECHO entrepreneurship competition.

Students who demonstrate exceptional commitment, collaboration, follow-through, and competition readiness may later be invited to join the MS CEO+ Competition Team, where they represent Edge Up in national entrepreneurship competitions.

Who This Program Is For

MS CEO Studio is designed for students who are:

• curious about business, innovation, and leadership

• excited to solve problems and build ideas

• interested in how companies and products are created

• ready to collaborate, receive feedback, and improve their work

• eager to strengthen their communication, presentation, and leadership skills

No prior business experience is required. Students need curiosity, commitment, and a willingness to participate, collaborate, and revise their ideas.

The Founder Journey

Throughout the program, students move through the key stages of building a company:

1. Discover

Identify meaningful problems, understand customer needs, and ask better questions.

2. Build

Develop solutions, test ideas, define value, and make decisions based on research.

3. Brand + Plan

Create a brand identity, business strategy, pricing approach, and foundation for growth.

4. Pitch

Develop a pitch deck, tell their story, present their vision, and respond to feedback.

5. Showcase

Present their ideas to judges, entrepreneurs, mentors, and community members through the Edge Up Founder Showcase.

How Students Work

Students experience both sides of entrepreneurship: building ownership over their ideas while learning how to collaborate as a founder team.

Students may begin with individual ideas before forming teams based on complementary strengths, interests, and working styles.

Throughout the program, students practice:

• taking ownership

• dividing responsibilities

• communicating effectively

• solving problems together

• giving and receiving feedback

The Edge Up Founder Experience

MS CEO Studio operates like a founder studio rather than a traditional classroom.

Throughout the year, students move from ideas to execution — researching problems, refining solutions, building business plans, creating pitch decks, practicing presentations, and improving their work through feedback and iteration.

Beyond weekly sessions, students have opportunities to participate in founder conversations, mentor feedback sessions, networking experiences, and showcase events with entrepreneurs, professionals, and community leaders.

Students Will Learn

Students develop practical skills in:

Building Ideas

• Entrepreneurship and innovation

• Problem identification

• Customer understanding

• Market research

• Solution development

Building a Business

• Brand development

• Pricing and value strategy

• Business planning

• Financial thinking

• Product development

Communicating Like a Founder

• Pitch storytelling

• Presentation design

• Investor-style communication

• Leadership and teamwork

• Receiving and applying feedback

More importantly, students learn how to think like founders: seeing opportunities, testing ideas, adapting quickly, and taking ownership of their work.

Includes

✔ Full-year founder studio experience
✔ Founder curriculum and business development framework
✔ Problem discovery, market research, and solution development tools
✔ Brand identity, business planning, pricing strategy, and financial thinking
✔ Pitch deck creation and investor-style presentation development
✔ Select founder masterclasses, mentor feedback sessions, and entrepreneur experiences
✔ Opportunities to connect with founders, professionals, and community leaders through guest sessions, feedback experiences, and showcase events
✔ Edge Up+ Academy Support, including additional resources and between-session support
✔ Participate in + attend the Teen Networking Gala
✔ Local Founder Showcase

Founder Showcase + Opportunities

MS CEO Studio culminates in the Edge Up Founder Showcase, where students present their businesses to judges, entrepreneurs, and community professionals.

• Students showcase their:

  • problem and solution

  • customer research

  • business strategy

  • brand identity

  • pitch storytelling

Throughout the year, students may also participate in founder conversations, mentor feedback sessions, networking opportunities, pitch practice experiences, and select entrepreneurship events.

The MS CEO+ Competition Team serves as Edge Up’s primary competitive founder pathway, including preparation for the Project ECHO entrepreneurship competition.

Additional opportunities may become available based on student readiness, interest, and program fit.

Invitation to the Competition Team

Throughout the year, we observe students' commitment, collaboration, coachability, leadership, and presentation growth.

In January, select students may be invited to join the MS CEO+ Competition Team, which represents Edge Up in entrepreneurship competitions.

The competition pathway requires:

• additional preparation

• team accountability

• revision and iteration

• increased pitch practice

• a higher level of commitment

Families who receive an invitation will receive complete details about the Competition Team, including its schedule, expectations, and tuition.

Tuition

MS CEO Studio intentionally maintains a small founder cohort so every student receives meaningful coaching, individualized feedback, and opportunities to contribute throughout the year.

Full-Year Enrollment: $1,995

Payment Plan

$399 non-refundable deposit

• 4 monthly payments of $399

Payment plan installments are automatically charged monthly.

Full-year enrollment covers the October–June founder season, including founder curriculum, studio sessions, Edge Up+ Academy Support, mentor experiences, and the Local Founder Showcase.

Days: Wednesdays
Times: 5:30-6:30/7:00 PM
Location: Narra Collective Studio, 333 Washington St Fl 3, Jersey City

Class Dates: 10/7, 10/14, 10/21, 10/28, 11/18, 12/2, 12/9, 12/16, 1/6 (1 hour ), 1/13 (1 hour ), 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24, 3/3, 3/31, 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/5, 5/12, 5/19, 5/26, 6/3 (1 hour)