Have your ever dreamed about creating and launching your own project and pitching it like a contestant on “Shark Tank”?
Enhance your entrepreneurial skills in this dynamic business-oriented adventure run through the Darla Moore School of Business. Instructors will teach you how to find a product or service that solves a problem, identify a clearly defined market, uncover a clear advantage and learn what is takes to bring a product or service to the market.
Discover how your project will be profitable and learn how to pitch your product to investors. You’ll learn to create a business plan, find your market and promote your business. Along the way, you’ll build your leadership skills and enhance your innovative thinking. By the end of the week, you will work in a group to create your own product and pitch it like a pro!
Program Dates and Audience
- June 4-9, 2023 (rising 6-9 grade students)
- June 25-30, 2023 (rising 9-12 grade students)
Program Fees
Choose from:
- Commuting Scholar - $575
- Commuting Scholar Plus Evening - $665
- Residential Scholar - $975
Plus $25 field trip fee
Meet Your Instructor
Katherine Swartz Hilton
Katherine Swartz Hilton serves as director of strategic initiatives for the McNair Institute for Entrepreneurism and Free Enterprise and associate principal of USC’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Living Learning Community.
Katherine is passionate about the intersection of entrepreneurship and leadership – how founders can cultivate their unique skills and strengths to propel their success – and their profits.
She is a proud alumna of the University of South Carolina with a B.A. in communications, and holds a Master of Arts in organizational change and leadership from Columbia College. She is a certified program director with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship and Kauffman FastTrac.
Katherine is married to fellow entrepreneur Gregory Hilton (USC MIB 2003), mom to a vivacious four-year-old, and is currently serving as board chair of Richland Library.
Kedralyn L. Folk
Kedralyn L. Folk, EdD, serves as an innovation program specialist for Richland School District Two. She attended South Carolina State University and, in 2015, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education.
From there, she began her career as a certified educator. She received her Master of Education in Teaching from the University of South Carolina (2017) and her Educational Specialist in Instructional Technology from Coastal Carolina University (2019). In 2022, Kedralyn graduated with a Doctor of Education in Education Systems Improvement Science from Clemson University.
Dr. Folk is passionate about improving education, innovation, and design thinking. She enjoys spending time with her parents and is the youngest of three.