Business & Entrepreneurship Academic Boot Camp

The Warrior-Scholar Project Business & Entrepreneurship Program is an immersive, week-long academic boot camp consisting of business fundamentals classes, team-building and group dynamics exercises, entrepreneurship projects, pitch group workshops and presentations, business-focused campus-specific activities, and skills development. All boot camps also include a series of discussions on succeeding in college as a student veteran.

Entrepreneurship projects have students work together to identify, define, and validate a problem that represents an opportunity for innovation. Students learn how to identify why a problem represents an opportunity for innovation, define an unmet need for a user segment, and conduct a current solutions analysis.

Group dynamics workshops prepare students to succeed both in entrepreneurship group projects and as business professionals in general.

Skills development workshops cover topics such as how to give an elevator pitch, how to develop a professional email signature, what a resume should include, how to choose the proper business attire, and more.

Business fundamentals classes introduce students to business-degree related topics through a combination of lectures, discussions, workgroups, and short assignments taught by a host campus professor.

Reading assignments help prepare students with the background they need for each business fundamentals class topic, including selections from textbooks, articles, and case studies.

Campus-specific activities include leadership workshops, presentations from renowned leaders in business, panels of local entrepreneurs, and discussions with other veterans who are successful in their fields.

The pitch showcase is an opportunity for students to present their entrepreneurship group work to other students, WSP staff, campus staff, and special guests. After giving their group pitch, students are split into breakout sessions with guests to discuss their pitch, network, and learn more about their backgrounds.

Courses run from Sunday – Friday

7:00 AM – 8:30 AM Breakfast

9:00 AM – 12:00 PM Business Fundamentals Classes:

These classes are taught by host campus professors. Some of the classes that our students have participated in are Design Thinking, Business Ethics, Marketing, Communications, Finance, Group Dynamics, and Professionalism.

12:15 PM – 1:30 PM Lunch

1:30 PM – 2:45 PM Host Institution-Led Information Sessions:

These may include tours of the university, discussions with the admissions team, or discussions with special guests.

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM Entrepreneurship Projects, Classes:

Entrepreneurship Projects are the foundation for the business week. Formal classes are given each day, with the intent of guiding the students through their evening group work. Projects may follow the Business Model Canvas, Lean Business Model Canvas, or other various templates. Classes may include Learning Through Conversations, Economic Value and Problem Size, Solution Brainstorming & Prototyping, and Prototype Iteration.

5:15 PM – 7:00 PM Dinner

7:00 PM – 9:30 PM Entrepreneurship Projects, Group Work:

Every evening, each team will work in their groups and accomplish the assigned tasks related to their entrepreneurship projects. There may also be assigned readings associated with the following day’s lecture. Readings may be related to marketing, business ethics, communications, best business practices, and other relevant topics.

*The culminating event is the Entrepreneurship Pitch Project Presentations. Participants will present their ideas to the entire cohort and special guests.