KEENStart

During gse's summer startup, teams of high school students develop a business model,a prototype, and pitch their company to a large audience. Students learn a great deal about themselves and others as they live in a community, developing long-lasting connections and skills. Educators, business leaders, experienced entrepreneurs, and other mentors work closely with the students in experiential, hands-on learning sessions, and cocurricular activities.students learn what it takes to create a successful company and are eligible for millions of dollars in college scholarships. They also learn from collegiate pitch alums and are introduced to collegiate pitch as a next step in their entrepreneurial journey.

Gse's ecosystem is a support Network for the alumni of summer startup and collegiate pitch. The ecosystem works to help promote alumni businesses, provide networking and development opportunities, along with ongoing educational offerings.

Gse's collegiate pitch program is Kentucky's largest intercollegiate pitch competition and provides access to thousands of dollars in funding, along with valuable feedback from entrepreneurial experts. The competition encourages innovation and Entrepreneurship by providing opportunities for students to develop and pursue their business ideas. The contest rewards businesses judged to be the most likely to produce successful ventures that create jobs for kentuckians. Collegiate pitch is part of the summer startup cirriculum, as those high school students visit collegiate pitch businesses, learn from collegiate pitch participants, and are encouraged to apply to colleciate pitch and the opportunities it offers for their ongoing business development.