15 Entrepreneurship Activities for Middle School Students
If you are interested in entrepreneurship, middle school is a good time to start exploring it. Entrepreneurial activities will help you move beyond textbooks and see how ideas become real projects, products, and businesses.
What do entrepreneurship activities for middle schoolers involve?
These activities can take many forms, from business competitions and startup challenges to innovation programs and community projects. Along the way, you will develop practical skills such as problem-solving, leadership, teamwork, communication, and financial thinking.
Why pursue entrepreneurship activities in middle school?
Entrepreneurial activities will also strengthen your college applications by showing initiative and a willingness to take on challenges outside the classroom. Just as importantly, many programs connect you with mentors, industry professionals, and like-minded peers.
To help you get started, we have narrowed down the top 15 entrepreneurship activities for middle school students. For related opportunities, check out our guides on business ideas for middle school students and how to start a business in middle school.
Quick Look
1 entrepreneurship-focused, fully virtual option: the Junior Innovator Program, which pairs you with one-on-one mentorship as you build a real project, a natural stepping stone toward programs like Young Founders Lab once you reach high school.
6 programs under $500: Middle School: Entrepreneurship for Young Innovators, From Idea to Income, Middle School Summer Programs' Financial Literacy course, and others.
1 highest-cost program: VentureLab's Idea to Pitch Program, at $4,000 with financial assistance available.
1 program run entirely by peer teams, with profits going to a designated cause: JA Company Program Pop-Up, where your venture's profits benefit the school or a community organization.
Most activities conclude with a pitch or presentation, whether to family, community members, or a panel of investors.
15 Entrepreneurship Activities for Middle School Students
1. Girls Crushing It
Location: Orinda Library (Workshops) and Broadway Plaza Shopping Center, Walnut Creek, California
Cost/Stipend: $250; none
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: March 8 & May 2
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Entrepreneurs ages 8–18
Through this entrepreneurship activity for middle school students, you will learn entrepreneurship by building and promoting your own business. Beginner participants attend Entrepreneurship 101, where you will explore idea generation, customer research, pricing, budgeting, product development, and pitching. Returning participants will join Start-up Game Day, which focuses on problem-solving, budgeting, pricing strategies, and business challenges. You may then apply these skills at the Spring Pop-up Shop at Broadway Plaza, where you will sell products, pitch to customers, and manage your own table. The program combines workshops with real-world business experience, helping you build confidence, communication skills, financial awareness, and entrepreneurial thinking.
2. Junior Innovator Program
Location: 100% virtual, with one-on-one mentorship and interactive events
Cost: Varies by program; need-based financial aid is available
Program Dates: Flexible start dates; vary by cohort
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: Open to middle school students
The Junior Innovator Program is a virtual entrepreneurship incubator program where you develop an actual project that solves a problem you care about. Over the course of the program, you take your idea from curiosity to creation by applying principles of entrepreneurship, pitching, and business thinking in a structured, hands-on setting. You work through one-on-one mentorship sessions that cover ideation, market thinking, and foundational business concepts, while also participating in fireside chats, remote socials, and group discussions with a global cohort of student founders. Throughout the experience, you receive mentorship from entrepreneurs and professionals with backgrounds at organizations such as Google, Microsoft, and McKinsey, helping you understand how innovation and venture-building work in practice. You refine your communication and leadership skills by presenting your project and incorporating feedback from peers and mentors.
3. Prequel Explore
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: $425/month or $2,975 for the full 8-month program (financial aid available); none
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: 8-month program; fall cohort begins October 1
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: 9-13 year olds
In Prequel Explore, you will build real-world projects while developing skills in entrepreneurship, communication, leadership, and technology. Over eight months, you will work through four missions, launch a business to earn $100 in profit, learn networking by securing an interview with someone you admire, create a no-code app or game, and complete Harvard Business School’s Everest teamwork simulation. Weekly 90-minute workshops combine activities, challenges, and collaborative exercises. You will also receive personalized coaching, feedback, and mentorship from instructors with startup and business experience. Along the way, you will collaborate with motivated peers from around the world and build a portfolio of projects.
4. Middle School: Entrepreneurship for Young Innovators
Location: Wangenheim Middle School, San Diego, CA
Cost/Stipend: $495; none
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: July 13 - July 17
Application Deadline: June 29
Eligibility: Middle school students (grades 6–8)
In this week-long program, you will take an idea and turn it into a mini-business. The course focuses on refining business concepts, creating business plans, and understanding how entrepreneurs bring products and services to market. As you work through the program, you will learn customer research, marketing, budgeting, and financial planning. You will also practice critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork while developing your project. By the end of the course, you will have a business concept ready to showcase. This entrepreneurship activity for middle school students emphasizes applying entrepreneurial ideas in a practical setting, giving you a structured introduction to business creation and innovation.
5. VentureLab Idea to Pitch Program
Location: Flexible; available for in-person or remote learning
Cost/Stipend: $4,000 (financial assistance available); none
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Not specified
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Differentiated for grades 1-2, 3-5, and 6-12
With VentureLab’s Idea to Pitch Program, you will take an idea from an early concept to a business pitch. The project-based curriculum guides you through identifying real-world opportunities, developing solutions, and presenting your ideas to an audience. As you work on your venture, you will build creative thinking, problem-solving, communication, and entrepreneurial skills. The program includes student workbooks, interactive activities, and a structured pitch event where you will showcase your work to family, friends, and community members.
6. From Idea to Income: Kid Business Accelerator
Location: Zoom
Cost/Stipend: $475; none
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: One-week sessions between June and August with 3 Zoom calls daily. June 08-12, June 22-26, July 13-17, July 20-24, August 3-7
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Kids ages 8–16
In this week-long online business accelerator, you will take a business idea from concept to launch. You will explore real problems, conduct market research, interview potential customers, and build a business model. Through this entrepreneurship activity for middle school students, you will create a budget, develop pricing strategies, design a product or service, and learn the basics of sales and customer service. Experienced mentors will guide you through each stage and provide feedback on your work. You will also prepare a presentation deck and pitch your business to an investor panel on Demo Day.
7. Discover Business Academy
Location: Live online
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Cohort Size: 6 students
Dates: June 22 - July 3
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Middle school students ages 12-14
Through this entrepreneurship activity for middle school students, you will learn how businesses operate through ten live online classes led by Dr. Gerard Dericks, an experienced business and economics educator. The program introduces business, economics, finance, investing, marketing, leadership, and entrepreneurship. As you move through the course, you will examine how companies compete, how markets function, and how business decisions are made. A capstone Business Start-up Challenge gives you the chance to apply what you learn in a team setting. Small class sizes encourage discussion and personalized guidance. You will also receive study resources, class recordings, a completion certificate, and the opportunity to earn a letter of recommendation through active participation.
8. Project ECHO’s Middle School CEO
Location: Not specified
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Semester-long
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Middle school students
You will work with classmates to turn an idea into a business through Project ECHO’s Middle School C.E.O. program. Designed as a hands-on introduction to entrepreneurship, the program guides you through brainstorming, business development, and pitch creation. Working in teams, you will build a startup concept and prepare to showcase it at a classroom event. Along the way, you will strengthen leadership, collaboration, communication, and creative thinking skills. The program requires only one hour each week, making it easy to fit into a school club or classroom while still giving you meaningful experience with the entrepreneurial process.
9. Loveworks Afterschool Leadership
Location: Gray St, Norman, OK
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Afterschool Program; meets Monday–Thursday, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM. Students attend 1 or 2 days per week for a one-semester commitment.
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: 6th-8th grade students
In this entrepreneurship activity for middle school students, you will join an afterschool leadership program designed to help you make positive life choices, explore career paths, and develop leadership skills. Through leadership days and discovery days, you will participate in hands-on lessons, group activities, conversations, and experiential learning projects. Volunteers, mentors, local artists, and community professionals will help guide the experience. You will work on projects that connect learning to real-life situations while building teamwork, leadership, character, and social-emotional skills. The program also encourages you to discover your interests and apply them through passion-based projects. A snack and dinner are provided, and transportation is available from select Norman Public Schools.
10. Middle School Business & Entrepreneurship
Location: Multiple campuses, including Berkeley, Georgetown, UC San Diego, New York University, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Washington. Both commuter and residential options are available
Cost/Stipend: Starts at $2,698 (residential) and starts at $1,298 (commuter) + $99 application fee; none
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: One-week sessions held between June 22 and July 31
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students completing grades 6-8
In this activity, you will work with a team to create a new business from the ground up. You will help develop a product or service, build marketing and sales strategies, and prepare a business plan. Along the way, you will learn how companies operate and how ideas become successful ventures. The course includes conversations with entrepreneurs, guest speakers, and visits to local businesses during academic excursions. You will also collaborate with mentors and industry professionals who share practical insights. The experience ends with a Shark Tank-style pitch presentation, where you will present your business idea and strengthen your teamwork, problem-solving, and public speaking skills.
11. The Business of Doing Good
Location: Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, United States
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: August 5-9 (Boston) & 12-16 (Cambridge)
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Level 1 includes grades 5, 6, 7 & Level 2 includes grades 8, 9, 10
At The Business of Doing Good, you will create a social entrepreneurship project based on a cause that matters to you. You will learn how to generate ideas, conduct market research, build business plans, develop marketing strategies, and communicate your vision clearly. Throughout the program, you will work on your own venture while receiving guidance from mentors and guest entrepreneurs. Activities include business planning, presentation workshops, social media communication, and project development. You will also prepare business cards, create presentations, and take part in a Project Expo. The experience concludes with a public presentation where you will pitch your idea and share your work.
12. Middle School Summer Programs - Entrepreneurship: Financial Literacy
Location: University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), Baltimore, Maryland
Cost/Stipend: $374; none
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: July 13 - July 17
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Incoming 6th-8th grade students
In this Entrepreneurship: Financial Literacy program, you will learn how financial decisions affect both individuals and businesses. Through structured activities, you will explore budgeting, saving, spending, investing, and credit. You will also examine how entrepreneurs use financial knowledge to plan, launch, and manage ventures. The course helps you build practical money-management skills while introducing key business concepts. As you work through real-world scenarios and classroom exercises, you will strengthen critical thinking and decision-making abilities. By the end of this entrepreneurship activity for middle school students, you will gain a clearer understanding of personal finance and entrepreneurship, along with skills that will support future academic, business, and career interests.
13. Youth Entrepreneurship Bootcamp
Location: Dallas College Pleasant Grove Center, Dallas, Texas
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: June 9th - July 18 with in-person from June 9-13 & July 14-18
Application Deadline: May 23
Eligibility: 7th–10th graders
At the Youth Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, you will explore how businesses are built from idea to launch. Over six weeks, you will learn entrepreneurship fundamentals, financial literacy, business operations, product development, marketing, and public speaking. You will take part in workshops, hands-on activities, weekly field trips, and discussions with entrepreneurs. Along the way, you will develop a business idea, create marketing strategies, and practice pitching to an audience. Expert mentors will guide you through the process and help strengthen your business thinking. The program ends with a live Business Fair, where you will present your venture and customer engagement plan to others.
14. Camp BizSmart
Location: In-person
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Cohort Size: 30 students
Dates: 10-day summer camp
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Ages 11-15
At Camp BizSmart, you will work in a team to solve real business challenges provided by founders and CEOs of innovative companies. During the 10-day program, you will take on an executive role such as CEO, CFO, CTO, or CMO and help develop product ideas, business plans, marketing strategies, and sales approaches. Industry experts mentor you throughout the experience, giving feedback as your team builds a solution. You will learn leadership, teamwork, creative thinking, problem-solving, and public speaking through hands-on projects. The program concludes with a formal presentation where you defend your team’s solution before venture capital and angel investors.
15. JA Company Program Pop-Up
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Not specified
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Middle and high school students (grades 6-12)
In the JA Company Program Pop-Up, you will work with classmates to plan, launch, and operate a small business venture. You will take part in key business decisions, set goals, define team roles, and learn how successful businesses operate. As the program progresses, you will explore customer needs, marketing, pricing, promotion, and sales. You will also practice communication, problem-solving, and teamwork while building entrepreneurial skills. The entrepreneurship activity for middle school students is guided by educators or volunteers, giving you support throughout the process. Your venture generates profits that benefit the school or a designated community organization, adding a real-world purpose to the business you help create.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Are there affordable entrepreneurship activities for middle schoolers?
Yes. Several programs, including Middle School: Entrepreneurship for Young Innovators ($495) and From Idea to Income ($475), cost under $500, and financial assistance is available for higher-cost options like VentureLab's Idea to Pitch Program.
2. Is there a program that builds toward something more advanced once I reach high school?
The Junior Innovator Program gives you one-on-one mentorship as you build a real project now, and it's a strong lead-in to Young Founders Lab, which offers a similar hands-on model for high schoolers building an actual revenue-generating startup.
3. Which activities focus specifically on financial literacy rather than general entrepreneurship?
Middle School Summer Programs' Entrepreneurship: Financial Literacy course at UMBC focuses specifically on budgeting, saving, and credit, connecting those concepts directly to how entrepreneurs plan and manage a venture.