Beyond providing an umbrella under youth entrepreneurship, art and innovation we hope to build a strong interdisciplinary resource community that can advance basic social science knowledge, garner leaders, scholars and young stakeholders in the community.
A place to allow youth to gain knowledge and open their minds to learn how they can support and sustain income while giving back to the community to find their purpose through art, entrepreneurship, innovation and why. While giving the youth a place to go express themselves through creativity, providing them with the tools they need to use their passions to support themselves and community.
We hold different sectors of programming, so that each individual’s ideas are utilized in a way to garner success. I.E. Tech based, agriculture, crafts, design, film, publishing, art, design, life skills, mental, physical and home economics.
About The Program
Our program taps into the potential of ambitious students, supporting you through the process of launching an actual startup.
Join a highly-curated group of promising young entrepreneurs from around Milwaukee and surrounding areas for intense weeks of learning. You'll learn from industry experts and work in a group of peer co-founders to build real products and solve business challenges in viable ways.
Hustle And Heart Academy isn't a business plan competition - students start real companies. These startups are driven by using the design thinking process to discover innovative opportunities, backed by extensive market research, multiple iterations of prototypes and user testing, and gaining traction through getting real customers and partnerships.
Take A Company From Idea To Execution!
Work on a co-founder team of like-minded peers, stretching yourself beyond your limits throughout the entrepreneurial process to launch a real startup.
1. Explore
Identify business opportunities
2. Research
Formalize the idea with market research
3. Test the Concept
Design and test your solution
4. Launch!
Build business logistics and start selling
Phases of the program
BUSINESS MODEL WORKSHOP:
The purpose of the Business Model workshop is to get an understanding of the role of business models in entrepreneurship and social change and to start designing business models based on the stakeholder discovery research conducted by the teams.
During the workshop teams present their research to each other and to their mentors, do exercises that help participants learn and embody key insights they need to design relevant business models that consider all ecosystem actors, learn useful conceptual frameworks and study cases of real-world businesses, social enterprises, and systemic change initiatives.
As weeks go on participants are guided through a step-by-step process of designing the first iteration of their business model using the Business Model Canvas - a cutting-edge framework that expands the conventional Business Model Canvas to include the systemic approach to the role of an entrepreneurial venture in social and environmental context. Teams then present their canvases and receive guidance on the next phase of the program: Testing.
TESTING:
In the weeks after the Business Model Workshop participants refine their business model, build a prototype, roll their sleeves up and work in the community, testing the prototype with customers, civic, nonprofit and corporate partners, and other stakeholders. As teams gather feedback on their prototype, they adjust or even completely redesign their business models based on that feedback. During this phase, teams continue to receive support from their Curators, leadership mentors, advisors, and other teams.
GO TO MARKET/COMMUNITY STRATEGY WORKSHOP:
This workshop helps teams prepare for the launch of their venture. Teams that got traction with their stakeholders during the testing phase design strategies they can start implementing right away. Teams that had to pivot or otherwise abandon their original ideas without confirming a fit with the market & the community, learn frameworks and principles they will use once they get traction with their prototypes.
PITCH WORKSHOP:
The Pitch Workshop is offered right after the Go To Market/Community Strategy Workshop and guides teams through a step-by-step process to design their pitches using an appropriate pitch canvas. At the end of the day, teams present their pitches and get initial feedback from advisors and mentors.
PITCH MASTERY & RELATIONSHIP BUILDING:
During this phase, teams focus on perfecting their pitches while identifying potential contacts they would like to present their project to or invite to the Demo Day. This phase features intensive interactions within and across teams, with advisors, track curators, and potential supporters to get feedback on multiple iterations of the pitch and make sure teams are ready to give the best possible presentation on the Demo Day.
DEMO DAY & GRADUATION:
In the first part of the day, participants have an opportunity to reflect on their Hustle And Heart journey and map out their personal and professional evolution, and articulate tangible takeaways from the program. After, teams present to a panel of investors, social impact experts, and thought leaders in the field of systemic change. The judges give feedback to the teams, evaluate presentations, and select one team that demonstrated the most outstanding achievement in the program. The Demo Day ends with a graduation ceremony and banquet celebration for students, supporters and their families. After graduating from the program, each participant receives a certificate & personalized leadership development report with notes from their Curator and mentors.
Every other Friday, we mobilize our teams of volunteers to make a real difference. Join us and see what can be accomplished when you get an impassioned team to focus on change. We look to bring in Key stakeholders within our community, community advocates, volunteers, business owners, artists, musicians and everything in between if you have ideas or projects that can help to foster the minds of young leaders please sign up for our Fostering Fridays!
Food justice is an important part of community justice. Our enrolled students and families have the option to shop our community food bank. We take donations from local businesses and use them to fight hunger. Help us connect with donors and to supply our students in need.
Our Kid entrepreneurs will work with staff to develop a product idea and then bring it to life. Then, they can sell it in the 'Biz Kid' store located at our center as well as online through our website. Look for the tab that says " Biz Kid store". Children will reach an agreement with our Academy about who gets what portion of the profits, but the program itself is free to join. Our Academy is a registered 501(c3), we are able to offer this program through our amazing sponsors, community members, volunteers and from the profits of the products made in house by our talented student entrepreneurs.
This workshop helps youth to understand that we all have a mental health and, like our physical health, have to work towards mental wellness. We will explore different ways stress and trauma impacts our wellbeing as well as coping strategies, including stress reduction activities, to get through hard times. This workshop highlights resources and supports while emphasizing help seeking when going through a hard time including when youth or their friends are having thoughts of suicide. We believe in order to be successful entrepreneurs, you need to prioritize mental health. As part of this round table Workshop, students will be given tools and resources centered around kindness, compassion, confidence, understanding differences, accepting diversity, overcoming obstacles as well as coping skills. As part of the workshop students will watch a Documentary titled " You're Not Alone" produced in partnership with PBS and the USA today network. The film follows 4 Wisconsin youth, including one of our Founders. It covers their stories and how they were able to overcome their mental health battles. The workshop was inspired by one of the Producer's of the program, Rory Linnane. For the last 3 years, she has worked tirelessly on uncovering the suicide rates and gaps in mental healthcare in Wisconsin, through the "kids and crisis" series. Her dedication to youth mental health and advocacy is to be admired. In honor of Rory, each student will be required to take this half day Workshop. For more information regarding the film, please click the link below.
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Registered 501(c3) Organization
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