High-Tech Entrepreneurship for High School Students

One of the programs WIRED Indiana helped launch was a high school entrepreneurship academy focused exclusively on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math). The partnership included the Purdue Research Foundation, the Purdue Research Park (nation's largest university-affiliated technology incubator), K-12 school corporations around the region, SBDC, and others. It was highly sucessful and plans are in the works for a statewide program for 2008. A video interview about the academy is available here.

Students get mentored with high tech entrepreneurs, develop business plans, and pitch the business ideas to venture capitalists and other investors. Winners get scholarships to use at one of the region's colleges or universities.