High school students in Greater New Haven dreaming of launching their own businesses are invited to apply to Collab New Haven’s youth summer program.
Applications are now open for the Collab Youth Accelerator, a summer entrepreneurship program that will run July 6 through Aug. 17. The seven-week program will provide students with entrepreneurship basics, trips to area entrepreneurship-related programs (like MakeHaven and NXTHVN), a pitch day and a graduation ceremony.
The goal is to give high school students a space to explore the career pathway of entrepreneurship, learn transferable skills and build confidence through peer-to-peer and mentorship relationships, according to Collab Executive Director Dawn Leaks.
Leaks said the inaugural launch of the Youth Accelerator last summer was inspiring, and she’s excited to welcome another group of students this summer.
Last year’s class of youth entrepreneurs’ ideas included creating an online magazine platform, increasing representation of plus-sized clothing, and creating an affordable and accessible math tutoring service aimed at New Haven public school students, for example.
“At Collab, we are proud to play a role in supporting the next generation of builders, innovators and entrepreneurs in Greater New Haven,” Leaks said.
The summer program will be open to 18-20 high school students from the Greater New Haven area. It will take place in person at the New Haven Free Public Library. The deadline to register for the Collab Youth Accelerator is May 22.
Collab is an early-stage accelerator that supports individuals in using entrepreneurship to build wealth for themselves and their families, create local jobs, build economic power and shape their communities with a focus on people of color and women entrepreneurs.
Its summer Youth Accelerator program is an offshoot of its successful flagship program, the Accelerator, which has helped hundreds of area entrepreneurs kickstart their small businesses.
Collab is able to run the Youth Accelerator thanks to support from the United Way of Greater New Haven and the Pincus Foundation.
To apply, visit https://collabnewhaven.org/youthaccelerator.
