Venture Lab Pathway

Foundations Lab + Full-Year Virtual Product Innovation Studio

Grades 6–9+

Learn how to start. Then build something real.

Intentionally virtual. Digital-first. Product-team model.

Venture Lab Pathway is a full-year innovation program for students who are ready to move beyond ideas and learn how to build real products, projects, and prototypes.

The pathway begins with Foundations Lab, where students develop the thinking habits and self-direction skills needed for open-ended project work. Students learn how to get started, organize ideas, research effectively, make decisions, plan next steps, and get unstuck when the path is unclear.

After Foundations Lab, students move into Venture Lab, a virtual product innovation studio where they apply those skills to design, build, test, and improve a real solution over time.

Inspired by the product development practices used at startups and leading technology companies, students learn how great products are imagined, researched, designed, tested, refined, and launched.

Whether designing an app, physical product, AI tool, digital service, campaign, or creative solution, students experience what it feels like to become a true builder.

Program Structure

Phase 1: Foundations Lab

September–mid October
6 weeks

Students build the essential habits needed for independent project work:

• getting started

• organizing ideas

• research basics

• planning and prioritizing

• making decisions

• asking better questions

• getting unstuck

• managing open-ended work

Foundations Lab Cohort Options

Foundations Lab is offered in two formats. Both cohorts teach the same core framework. Families can choose the format that best fits their child’s learning style and schedule.

Virtual Cohort
Sundays, 10:00–11:30 AM
Best for students who are ready for a structured online learning environment, want the convenience of a weekend option, or plan to continue into the virtual Venture Lab studio.

In-Person Studio Cohort
Fridays, 4:00–5:30 PM at Narra
Best for students who benefit from more live coaching, accountability, hands-on support, and in-person help with organizing their thinking and getting started.

Students in either Foundations Lab cohort may continue into Venture Lab.

Phase 2: Venture Lab

Mid October–June
Sundays, 10:00–11:30 AM
Virtual by design
Bi-weekly live studio sessions

Students apply the skills from Foundations Lab in a guided virtual product studio, where they build a real venture, product, prototype, campaign, tool, or creative solution.

They work primarily individually or in pairs, ensuring every student develops the confidence and skills to think independently, solve problems creatively, and own the product development process.

Between live sessions, students complete independent Sprint Work — building, testing, researching, interviewing users, documenting decisions, and improving their products.

Why Venture Lab Is Virtual

Venture Lab is intentionally designed as a virtual studio because students are learning how modern product teams actually work.

Today’s builders use digital tools to research users, organize ideas, prototype solutions, give and receive feedback, document decisions, and collaborate across time and place.

Live studio sessions provide instruction, critique, planning, and accountability. Between sessions, students use digital tools to build, test, revise, and document their progress.

This model helps students develop not only product thinking, but also the independence, self-management, and digital collaboration habits they will need for high school, college, and future work.

Includes

✔ Foundations Lab prerequisite phase
✔ Choice of virtual or in-person Foundations Lab cohort
✔ Full-year virtual product innovation studio
✔ Bi-weekly 90-minute live Venture Lab studio sessions beginning mid-October
✔ Independent Sprint Work between live sessions
✔ Digital collaboration, prototyping, and project-management tools
✔ Real-world product design sprints
✔ Product critiques and feedback sessions
✔ Select masterclasses with founders, product managers, designers, and builders
✔ Opportunities to practice presenting ideas through mentor feedback sessions, Edge Up events, and the final Venture Showcase & Demo Day
✔ AI-powered product development
✔ Edge Up+ asynchronous studio resources
✔ Portfolio-ready product case study

Students Will Learn

Throughout the pathway, students develop practical skills in:

• Design thinking

• Product discovery

• Customer interviews

• User research

• UX/UI design

• Wireframing and prototyping

• Branding and visual identity

• AI-assisted product development

• Marketing and landing pages

• Product storytelling

• Iteration and feedback

• Product launch strategy

• Project planning and self-management

More importantly, students learn how to think like builders — embracing experimentation, feedback, revision, and continuous improvement.

The Studio Experience

Venture Lab operates more like a professional product studio than a traditional classroom.

Every other week, students participate in live collaborative studio sessions where they receive instruction, share progress, critique one another’s work, and plan the next product sprint.

Rather than working in large groups, students are encouraged to build independently or in pairs so that every participant experiences each stage of the product development journey firsthand.

This studio model develops independence, ownership, resilience, creative confidence, and the ability to keep moving even when a project is unclear, unfinished, or difficult.

Why Foundations Lab Comes First

Great builders need more than good ideas.

They need to know how to start, organize their thinking, research, make decisions, manage open-ended work, and recover when they get stuck.

That is why Venture Lab begins with Foundations Lab. Before students build a product or prototype, they first learn the thinking habits and self-direction skills that make ambitious project work possible.

Students who have already completed Foundations Lab may be eligible to begin directly with Venture Lab with instructor approval.

Venture Showcase

The pathway culminates in the Edge Up Venture Showcase, where students present their finished products, demonstrate their design process, and share the story behind what they built.

Students leave with more than a prototype — they leave with a portfolio project that showcases their creativity, problem-solving, independence, and product thinking.

Tuition

Founding Cohort Tuition: $1,495

Venture Lab Pathway is intentionally designed as a full-year experience. Strong projects are not built in a weekend — they are researched, tested, refined, and improved over time.

Tuition includes the Foundations Lab phase, Venture Lab studio sessions, Edge Up+ asynchronous resources, and participation in the Venture Showcase.

This founding cohort rate includes both the Foundations Lab phase and the full Venture Lab studio experience. Future cohorts may be offered at a higher standard tuition.

Payment Options

Pay in Full: $1,495

OR

Payment Plan

$299 non-refundable deposit reserves your student’s seat
4 monthly payments of $299

The deposit reserves your student’s place in the pathway and is non-refundable. Payment plans require automatic credit card payments.