Future Entrepreneur Challenge — Spring Classes

Spring cleaning? Try spring learning! With a new crop of entrepreneurship programs from Harmony Plus, your middle or high school child can study UX design, business framework, and presentation skills — all in 10 weeks or less. These top-tier courses are taught by experts and Silicon Valley thinkers:

• Massi Genta, a serial entrepreneur who got his first capital funding at 18. Plus, EIR at NEC X as the CEO of Metabob and founder of Senstek and Clyste
• Ethan Schur, winner of “America’s Greatest Maker” $1 million prize, a frequent speaker on Forbes and CNN, and CEO at Grush
• Donji Yamada, head of design at Metabob and Clyste, UX designer for Facebook projects
• Ioana Ghimus, a design thinker who facilitates design thinking workshops on political education, co-creativity, and public speaking

What a lineup! With such credentialed and tenured staff, students are sure to improve in their academics and soft skills. Check out the Spring 2021 course offerings below:

Future Entrepreneur Challenge (FEC)

Do you dream about having your own business one day? Then learn how to build a startup with FEC! Designed for middle and high school students who want to know how to make a difference in the world, students will learn what it takes to start a business with the Future Entrepreneur Challenge. They’ll receive instruction and mentorship from experienced professionals and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who will help them develop real products and business models. Students will work on:

• Brainstorming, strategizing, and building a startup idea as a group
• Training in presentation skills, research design, and group communication

Throughout the course, students will collaborate with other like-minded ambitious students and work in teams to develop a pitch deck, which they will then present online to a panel of Silicon Valley investors. Not only will students grow their soft and hard skills, but students can also build lasting connections with influential figures in Silicon Valley and can earn internships at high-growth startups that will help their future. This is truly a course that does it all and creates well-rounded students for an entrepreneurial future. At 10 weeks/sessions, there are two options to choose from:

• 1/29–4/2, Fridays 4:30–6:30 pm
• 2/28–5/2, Sundays 3–5 pm

UX Design

A startup is only as good as its product. So learn to design a successful tech product in five lessons with UX design! The UX Design course is designed for middle and high school students to learn the skills they will need for entrepreneurship. Throughout this course, students will learn and work through the ​User-Centered Design process​, which includes discovery, design, and validation. Students in this comprehensive course will also learn UX design theories, design tools, and skills while completing an industry-level project. They’ll create a product demo and presentation videos to share their design, while also using them as a work or school portfolio. With the guidance and mentorship of a Silicon Valley designer (Donji), students will also complete modules in:

• Interviews
• Product prototype
• User testing
• Graphic design

At the end of their 5 weeks/sessions, students will receive a UX design course certificate to show for all their hard work. There are several options to choose from for this course:

• 1/20–2/17, Wednesdays 5–7 pm
• 3/3–3/31, Wednesdays OR 3/7–4/4, Sundays 5–7 pm
• 4/7–5/5, Wednesdays 5–7 pm

Presentation Skills

You’ve got your startup plan, you’ve got your product…now what?! You’ve got to secure funding, which means presenting. And with this presentation skills course, you’ll learn to pitch with confidence! The FEC Presentation Skills course is an advanced program designed for middle and high school students to learn the skills they will need for pitching their business ideas to investors. Over four weeks, students will learn techniques to create powerful presentations, while perfecting their delivery through a pitching competition. Throughout this course, students will join a competition pitch event and receive instruction and mentorship from experienced professionals and entrepreneurs. By the end of the course, students will have:

• Learned comprehensive pitching knowledge and techniques
• Demonstrated the learnings through a pitching competition
• Received a Presentation Skills course certificate

And the top performers could receive a recommendation letter from the instructor! Presentation is a soft skill that students will need throughout their academics and careers, so don’t miss out on the chance to enroll in this essential class. There are several options to take advantage of:

• 1/19–2/9, Tuesdays 4–6 pm
• 3/2–3/23, Tuesdays 4–6 pm
• 4/6–4/27, Tuesdays 4–6 pm

With such a wide variety of classes and schedules, there’s something for every level of student and budding entrepreneur. These classes will help to develop entrepreneurial skills and spirit in a child, while growing essential skills such as research, interviewing, group work, leadership, strategy, and more. Set your child up for success in all their endeavors with these courses. And who knows? The next Jeff Bezos might be sitting in your living room! Head on over to the Harmony Plus site to sign up today.