Teen Entrepreneur Academy (TEA)

It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Mission Statement: Teen Entrepreneur Academy

The purpose of the Teen Entrepreneur Academy is to educate, train and empower the next generation of honorable entrepreneurs (TeenPreneurs) so that they become difference-makers who lead productive, fruitful and purposeful enterprises and experience meaningful lives of integrity, serving others and making the world a better place.

It's Never Too Early - Teenagers Starting Businesses

Established in 2011, the Teen Entrepreneur Academy (TEA) is a hands-on, learn-by-doing, one-week residential business entrepreneurship start-up summer camp for high school students. It is held annually in July at Concordia University in Irvine, California, USA. TEA teaches high school students real-world entrepreneurship, best business practices, principles of free enterprise and "how to" start and launch their own business. Teenagers (TeenPreneurs), working in groups of 3-to-4, work as entrepreneurs by preparing start-up business plans for their own real businesses. The team with the best start-up business plan wins $1,500 in the entrepreneurship business plan competition sponsored by Citi and held the last day of the summer camp academy.

Academy Dates:

July 19-25, 2020 - Canceled

Out of an abundance of caution for the entire campus community and the broader community, this event has been canceled.

Preparing Future Business Leaders: One-week Residential Business Summer Camp Academy for High School Students.

The challenges facing high school students and our world grow more complex every day. Our world needs fresh ideas, innovative solutions and visionary leaders who can make them happen. These leaders are entrepreneurs. America's future is dependent upon the next generation of entrepreneurs, young people with new ideas and big dreams and the tools and training necessary to realize them.

Steve, you put on a great program. I feel much better about the next generation if what I saw yesterday is an example. Your investment in the future is wonderful and I am proud that Concordia is thinking of the future when you put such programs together. Kudos to you!
- Frank Singer, Business Plan Competition Judge, Founder, Tech Coast Angels

This hands-on training is available at a summer business academy at Concordia University through our innovative Teen Entrepreneur Academy (TEA). It's never too early to teach young people the basic principles of business and entrepreneurship. TEA provides high school students with real-world business training that helps teenagers become leaders with ethics and integrity. In one-week, TEA will teach the principles and practices of entrepreneurship and how to start their own business.

Students learn how to realize the business ideas or the passion in their hearts for business. Faculty from Concordia's School of Business and Economics, local successful business leaders and entrepreneurs provide training. Student teams will write business plans and learn best business practices and strategies for starting a business. TEA is limited to 100 high school students. Investment is $1,250 (financial assistance available for low-income families) for United States citizen students and $1,850 for International students (US dollars) for living on campus for one week including room, board, books, field trips and classes.

Concordia University is located in the beautiful and modern City of Irvine, California inside of an exclusive private residential community surrounded by million dollar homes, on a spectacular 70-acre hillside overlooking the surrounding cities.  The master-planned City has been rated as the safest city in America. Read more about the City of Irvine Click Here.

It’s delightful as a parent to see that my daughter Katherine felt the TEA week on campus was “life-changing” (her own words).  Not only has she learned so much from the program, but also met many caring, supportive staff/mentor and friends.  It made the experience exceptionally rewarding.
-Parent Kristine W.

Downloads

• Income Guideline for California Families
• Income Guideline for National Financial Assistance
• Liability & Medical Release Form
• Corporate Sponsorship & Giving Opportunities
• Volunteer Opportunities

Questions, call 949-214-3379 or email: george.wright@cui.edu.