The entrepreneurial spirit is being nurtured in our community with K through eighth-grade students participating in the Mission: St. Louis “Beyond School” 16-week entrepreneurship program. “Poverty impacts countless youth throughout our city, with nearly 40% of children in St. Louis born into poverty” according to Mission St. Louis. 45% of St. Louis city is African American and approximately 72% of students in St. Louis public schools are Black or African American.
In partnership with VentureLab, Mission St. Louis invited students from 40 schools to pitch business ideas to a panel of judges on May 8, 2025. The ideas addressed community challenges.
Their product pitches included house cleaning products, pest control, jewelry, and a mental wellness app. Following the pitches, judges gave expert advice for student-entrepreneurs to expand their ideas.
During the first eight weeks, students focused on developing an entrepreneurial mindset, building curiosity, persistence, and grit, according to Erin Malone, Mission St. Louis vice president.
“These mindsets will be valuable in any path they choose,” said Malone.
Peter Gioia, Beyond School manager, said, “There are no limits to what they can think of.”
“Mission STL creates a culture where students can fail and try again without shame or fear of judgment.”
Gioia added that the curriculum designed by Venture Lab has sections specified for each age group.
“It’s just steppingstones,” he explained.
During the 16-week program, students are tasked with observing their community to identify problem areas and how to improve them.
“We walk and guide them through building solutions,” said Gioia. “The solution can be a service, product, or app to create solutions in their communities.”
The program provides resources, including an activation materials kit and one-on-one staff support. Students were able to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset–enhancing their problem-solving skills while building confidence.
Participants learned how to use everyday materials for prototypes. They were actively engaged in learning. This initiative culminated in them developing their own product concepts and crafting comprehensive business ideas.
Malone recalls that during an on-site contest, a student whom she says went through the entire process to prepare for pitch day had an emotional breakdown.
The student’s eyes began to well up with tears from fear of judgment, which held her back just moments before her turn to pitch her idea to the judges. However, her peers, family, and coaches gave her unwavering support that helped encourage her to pitch her idea in front of the judges.
“Sometimes it’s not just about the most polished idea or the student who can go the furthest in life, but how each student grows and learns through this process,” said Malone.
Gioia says seeing the kids succeed and develop signifies that developing this mindset in kids at such an early age is a benefit for the whole community.
“It’s not just the student, but he or she brings it home to the whole family. It inspires and encourages others to do the same thing.” He said, “It’s that one piece that can create that ripple effect.”
The most important aspect to Gioia isn’t about the kids receiving money to start their business, but more about them having a sense of community behind them.
Since its launch six years ago, the program has served nearly 400 students. Malone points out that the entrepreneurial aspect of the program is just the beginning–program leaders also focus on academics and social and emotional growth.
“Our students are out serving the community every other week,” Malone said. Some of the families that are served at Mission STL need a lot of support–Malone says to ensure they are getting what they need, the organization relies on that long-term relationship that they aim to develop with the families they serve. “It’s uber important work.”
“The heart of what we do is to add another layer of adult support in our students’ lives,” Malone said.