Potomac Stories

What do sharks, incubators, seed money, and design thinking have in common? They can all be found on Potomac’s campus in the popular Upper School elective Entrepreneurship and Innovation! Each fall, 16 budding entrepreneurs spend a semester experiencing the realities of the business world, where creativity and practical skills combine to create innovative ideas that work.

Students in the course are challenged to identify a need then discover, design, and execute an entrepreneurial project to meet that need. Their work culminates with Shark Tank style presentations in front of a team of volunteer “sharks” made up of Potomac parents, faculty and staff, local businesspeople, and Head of School John Kowalik. 

The interdisciplinary, inquiry-based class is taught by Director of Public Speaking Harry Strong and Director of Technology and Innovation Sean Moran, who introduce the students to the fundamentals of design thinking, project management, financial modeling, prototyping, and marketing.

Sean notes, “Harry and I come from very different backgrounds and have different areas of expertise. Harry has a really strong business background, and he handles the financial lessons – like how students should budget their $50 of baseline seed money. His public speaking expertise is also a major asset, as he guides the students as they work to develop effective presentations. My role is to take them through the steps of design thinking; I also help with some of the creative aspects that add finesse to their final presentations.”

Along the way, the students do research, conduct interviews, generate business plans, develop pitches, and produce business case analyses. Throughout the semester, they document their efforts in a blog and present their ongoing work in a variety of online and face-to-face contexts. Collaboration is key as the students work with their classmates, teachers, and others to fully develop their ideas and gain the skills necessary for entrepreneurial success.

Whether the product or service they are developing is digital or physical, students in the class are encouraged to think critically and probe beyond the obvious. The course focuses heavily on rapid prototyping and learning from – and building upon – mistakes.

Sean notes, “Projects can, and will, fail. That’s the reality of starting a business; it’s rarely a linear process. The important thing is for students to understand why their product or idea didn’t work out. If you can reflect critically on what you need to do to improve your idea or prototype, that’s a valuable lesson, and that will help you make the grade in this class.” 

Harry and Sean leverage the power of the Potomac community by incorporating volunteers who bring “real-world” perspectives to the class. Harry notes, “We invite faculty and staff with all kinds of interesting backgrounds, parents who work in venture capitalism, local inventors and entrepreneurs. These individuals bring knowledge and experience that enriches our course curriculum, and the insights that they share – whether on financial modeling or creating a value proposition or some other aspect of the business cycle – are invaluable.”

One of those volunteers is Arun Gupta, a Potomac parent and adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. This fall, Arun volunteered his time to run the Harvard Business Simulation with the class. In that exercise, students are given a mix of realistic business scenarios and challenged to apply the concepts they have learned to make decisions under pressure. 

Speaking of being under pressure, what better way to get the full experience than by seeing the head of school walk into your personal shark tank? “It can feel intimidating to the students,” Harry notes, “but they always rise to the occasion because they are so well prepared.”

The final presentation simulates the real Shark Tank experience, with the students pitching their ideas, asking for funding, and answering questions from the individuals who are there to understand and assess their ideas. John Kowalik says, “I always enjoy the presentations. The students have so many innovative ideas, and they put tremendous thought and effort into developing their projects. When they give their presentations, they are poised, professional, and persuasive. If I were a real shark looking to invest, I’d have a hard time saying, ‘I’m out!’ to any of these young entrepreneurs.”

The course has become very popular with Potomac’s future-minded students. Senior Will Edens says, “I felt challenged and engaged, and my interest in entrepreneurship grew week by week. This experience really opened up my eyes to ways I can pursue my future studies with a business-oriented approach.”

Sean Moran and Harry Strong hope that by the end of the course, their students are more aware of the inner workings of the business world. “Entrepreneurship covers a lot of territory,” Sean says, “and we try to expose them to as many elements as possible. Having an understanding of design thinking and grasping the leadership, service, and public speaking aspects of entrepreneurship are the pillars upon which this class is built.”

The prototypes from the 2021-22 class reflect a broad range of creative thinking and thoughtful design:

FoodFlex (Helen Otteni, Hannah Bell, and William Alexander)

“FoodFlex” is a foldable, reusable, silicon plate that aims to reduce paper plate waste in the cafeteria and decrease the dish workload for lunchroom staff. The plate could be taken to school with students, folded into quarters, and expanded at lunchtime. This product serves a practical purpose within the Potomac community and will also help decrease paper waste across the country when implemented in school and corporate lunchrooms. 

TwiLIGHT (Yumn Teshome, Will Cunnion, and Dylan Kurtz)

If you have ever been night fishing, you know the struggle of trying to see your bobber in the dark. “TwiLIGHT” is a glow-in-the-dark bobber that is easy to see underwater and attracts fish with its iridescent glow. A two-in-one way to make catching fish easier and more successful. 

Bored Game (Roland Martin, Austin Smith, and Anwar Karim)

Bored? Here’s a solution! “Bored Game” is a 3D board game that is completely hassle free. Portable, player friendly, learnable within minutes, Bored Game is the perfect way to spend time with family and friends. Look for more updates on prototypes from the founders of Bored Game within the upcoming weeks. 

Tradition Apparel Company (Will Edens, Holden Smith, and Tucker Brown)

Tradition Apparel Company is a contemporary clothing company that aims to create a sense of community through clothing. The company is currently designing a line of Dri-Fit T-shirts, hats, and other merchandise for the Potomac community and beyond. The company focuses on cultivating a sense of shared identity through their clothing collection. 

Packs (Will Kadel, Duncan Gibb, Andrew Mesa, and Ben Warden)

Backpacks are heavy, poorly organized, and fall apart too quickly. Inventing a more durable, student-friendly backpack, Packs aims to solve any backpack issues once and for all. Made with durable material, internal organizing systems, and weight distribution technology, Packs is the ultimate solution for high school and college students alike. 

 

-        Project descriptions contributed by Hannah Bell ‘22