Founder Development Track

Grades 6–8+
Admission by application
Middle School CEO Studio is intentionally application-based because students work closely in a founder cohort. We want to create teams where students are ready to collaborate, give feedback, stay committed, and take ownership of their ideas.

Build. Lead. Pitch. Become a Founder.

Built from Edge Up’s award-winning entrepreneurship curriculum, MS CEO Studio gives students the full founder experience without the additional competition expectations of a national pathway.

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.

A Proven Founder Pathway

Edge Up’s entrepreneurship curriculum has helped students achieve national recognition, including a 1st Place National win in the Project ECHO entrepreneurship competition through the MS CEO+ Competition Team.

MS CEO Studio builds the foundation for students who may eventually pursue competitive founder opportunities through MS CEO+.

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
✔ 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.

January Competition Upgrade Option

MS CEO Studio is designed as Edge Up’s founder development track.

In January, select students may be invited to upgrade to the MS CEO+ Competition Team based on their commitment, collaboration, attendance, follow-through, and readiness for additional expectations.

The competition pathway requires:

• additional preparation

• team accountability

• revision and iteration

• increased pitch practice

• a higher level of commitment

Eligible families will receive more information in January. The upgrade includes additional preparation for the Project ECHO competition pathway and requires an additional tuition fee.

Tuition

MS CEO Studio is designed as a small-group founder cohort to allow students to receive meaningful feedback, collaborate effectively, and take ownership of their work.

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: 5:00-6:00/6:30 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)